Mass Effect: Ghosts of Valor
by Breaking-Asylum
Summary: Six infants saved from a generation in the process of extinction. Nearly 50,000 years pass; all awaken to a new galaxy with new civilizations. A purpose and powerful weapon, given to them by an Asari, to save the galaxy from the same exact threat that ended the previous life cycle. A war born from the shadows of another. Takes place in the Mass Effect Universe.
1. Prologue: Six Descendants

Prologue: Six Descendants

**A/N: I'M BACK! Guess who has finally returned to the world of fanfiction? Sorry I've been gone for so long! I was actually gonna start updating about a month ago but my laptop had crashed and it took about 3 weeks for it to be repaired. Now I'm barely writing things again! For now, I'll work on this new story since I'm blank on everything and need to refuel the fire before anything happens. Patience is a virtue! lol**

**A/N 2: I really need to stop doing this shit where I start a story, do a few chapters, then delete it because I so quickly ran out of inspiration for it. So with this story, I already created the layout and plotline (including subplots and details) so that will NOT happen. **

**Disclaimer: Language, Violence, Sexuality**

"_We have failed to win the war that would determine the fate of our galaxy. Our numbers have dwindled far too low to uphold any line of defense. Survival is no longer an option for organic life. The hands of time had cursed us to death; an eternal slumber for every species aiming to end the cycle. The fight was lost…" - Liara T'Soni_

Liara T'Soni's feet were clacking along the concrete pavement, her movements quiet and quaint as she was carrying the last of the six in her arms. The infant was asleep - and quite profoundly too - despite the fact of all the chaos occurring on the Prothean planet of Eden Prime. The sounds of the Reaper machines highly concentrated and powerful beams of destruction were ripping the planet apart along with their ground forces.

The entire galaxy was at war with the machine species. And the last hope the galaxy had to save all sentient and organic life within the Milky Way had died after a violent confrontation with the Illusive Man had caused an implosion within the Citadel, destroying the only device that could kill the Reapers once and for all; the Crucible. The Citadel was preserved but the Prothean-designed Crucible collapsed in the process, ensuring that the galaxy would lose the fight against the Reapers. But Liara had made certain that the fight would continue with the next birth of sentient life.

The gathering of six infants - each one's mind implanted, by her hand, with the blueprints and designs to remake the Crucible - was a last resort. As she reached the grounded platform, a painful feeling had coursed through her like an overbearing wave. Everything, everywhere was going to die. According to the Catalyst, it was all just a plan that played out every 50,000 years to maintain the peace throughout the course of time because the machines declared that all sentient life would bring only chaos. A chaos that tended to destroy itself. And a peace at a heavy price.

The six stasis pods were ensnared in a perfect circle almost similar to the numbers on a clock. The asari primitive approached the empty pod, standing before it, and ready to place the last infant inside the confinement. Not a single one of the babies had cried out, even with one of the Reaper machines approaching quickly. She repeated what she had done with the other infants and closed her eyes, using the powers of her mind to show vivid images to the sleeping infant in her arms.

The scenery of what was known as true beauty, flashed immediately to show that even with the chaos forming, there was still peace. A picture of blood to show that despite the beauty within, there was always an act for the shed of it. Depictions of emotions to prove that all species were filled with souls and were capable of expressing them. The basic needs to survive; the true form of what would be used to ensure life could be carried on.

Liara opened her eyes as the loud screech of the closing Reaper rang through her skull. She glimpsed at the machine in the distance - it's size drawing a disturbing picture in the masses - before looking back at the sleeping infant and placing a kiss upon it's forehead. As gently and quickly as possible, she laid the baby into the pod.

The asari had taken in a deep breath and looked at him, wrapped in a cozy and fluffed blanket, and smiled profoundly. After brushing her thumb across his brow, she took a step back and spoke softly, "Every act that we have done, we did as a nation. Humans, asari, krogan, salarian… all species of our galaxy had managed to put aside all differences and work together to preserve life. But our attempts to survive were but only in vain, for our only hope had fallen. We lost the Commander… we lost the Crucible. But it's power is not gone forever. Each of you hold a piece of the key to ensure that the next generation of organic life will survive."

Liara had dropped her head for a moment due to the pain consisting of mass extinction still driving through her. She looked at the last infant she place inside one of the six pods and continued to speak as she switched her eyes to each and every baby from there on out, "Your minds are precious. The Prothean designs for the Crucible will be forever lost in their original state… but they have not disappeared. By the time each and every one of you wake up, you will be adults. And I know that given time and patience, you will each understand what the Crucible is. More than a device to defeat the Reapers but a standard that all will never be lost so long as you survive."

"Take care little ones and protect the galaxy with all of the knowledge I have given you. The people of your time will know of your names…" She stepped towards a pod and smiled, "…Michael."

"And with that engraved into the galaxy's scripture of life…" Liara stepped over to the next, "…Theodore; heroes will be your label."

"The work of the Protheans are with you… Cody." She took another step towards the next, smiling as the baby waved it's arms momentarily. Shortly, she walked to the fourth pod, "The fate of every future generation will be guided by you… John."

The fifth pod held a baby that almost appeared to be stirring from it's sleep, "The way we - as a galaxy - live throughout the years will be determined by your actions and choices alone… Wade."

She approached the sixth and stopped moving altogether, taking in a deep breath, "And all those who seek salvation will know that we can survive by your words; uniting together and showing the Reapers that we are not weak… Randal."

Liara stopped following the encirclement of the pods and stood right in the center of all six, averting her gaze to assure herself that none would be disturbed of their extensive sleep. "As I stand here before all of you, pleading with what's left of me, I can promise that you will not be without help. For if all would know of the Reapers then you can be at much more ease knowing that power comes from within yourself and within the trust of others. Bring them all together and make them see that there is something far greater than anything ever seen. Their eyes would be what makes them believe that death will be imminent if nothing is done."

The screech of the Reaper had startled her yet again and she looked up to see it no more than a few miles away. And just as she was hoping for more time to let the words not only be heard by the future saviors, another Reaper had emerged through the atmosphere, landing loudly upon the planet. Followed by another and another; it was obvious to say that Eden Prime was falling quickly to extinction. And Reaper forces could be heard as well traveling along the ground to get to every sentient being on the known world.

Panic was threatening to burst out of Liara but she managed to keep herself calm, "Be who you were meant to be and save our galaxy."

Her hands began to glow blue as she raised them to show she was using her biotics to put the babies into a deep and powerful form of stasis that she had learned from a former team member who just so happened to be the last living Prothean. The fields of energy had encased each infant, practically freezing them in time, and ceased their movements but not into the inch of death. The upper halves of the stasis pods had slammed shut like a coffin, sealing the babies within. She lowered her hands slowly and the pods began to descend deep into the ground where they would be safe from any threat or danger.

Further and further, the lifepods descended into the earth of Eden Prime. The ground was quaking from the combined movement of the Reapers and their forces closing in on Liara's location. The last sentient being was using every ounce of her power to make sure that the infants were far enough below to live throughout the next generation. The stasis pods had clicked loudly, evidently providing Liara with the proof that she had done what she had to do.

"May the Goddess watch over you."

The holes in the ground had sealed up amidst the destruction, and the biotic energy surrounding the asari primitive had dissipated immediately. She leaned over, breathing heavily as if she had just ran a mile. The growls of Reaper husks and cannibals caught her attention and she turned around to see thousands running towards her. Knowing she would not survive the ordeal, a discontented emotion emerged through a tear out of the corner of her eye. And with that being her last feeling ever to dwell, she reached behind her hip and grasped her M-5 Phalanx pistol.

She stared intently at the infantry surrounding her, holding her pistol forward. "You may have killed us all…" The husks were running and growling, causing her eyes to narrow in anger. "…and we may have failed to end this cycle the Reapers thrive on. But in the end, your kind will be the ones to fall. Assurance rests with our descendants…"

The first shot was fired, piercing the skull of a husk, and putting it down almost instantly. Despite the nature of the Cannibals, not a single one had stopped to feed on the body; they only continued their pursuit of the Asari. She turned as another husk had gotten close and took another shot, it's head violently taken back by the force of the pistol's ammunition.

BANG!

A third, damaging the shields of a Marauder.

BANG!

A fourth, taking the dreadful life of a Cannibal.

The army around her was far too close for any means of firearms to be used for self defense. Liara dropped the pistol and brought out a strong force of her biotics and held her hands out to lift several of them into the air before throwing them outward towards the valleys that trailed around the platform like a bowl. Though her body was strong, it could only handle so much use of her biotics; the power would eventually wear her down to the point where she could not defend herself from anything.

And using her "last learned" biotics - a kind that was taught to her by a Prothean - to put the babies into an extremely lengthy stasis, had taken a deathly toll on her body and mind. She was breathing heavily as the blue glow of energy had left her body yet again. Liara fell to her knees, her heavy breaths turning to sobs of upcoming pain. She lifted her head to look to the heavens and closed her eyes.

"In your eyes… and in your grace… my life… for theirs."

She did not move even as the Reaper ground forces had taken a firm hold of her and began to rip her apart; limb from limb, skin from muscle. Her death was quick and _almost_ painless; but that pain was numbed by her knowing what she had done to finally bring an end to it all. She knew she would not live to see the fall of the machines but she was nevertheless happy to know it _would_ happen.

Liara had died keeping hope alive for the next generations of the Milky Way Galaxy. And with her sacrifice, six infants were saved to bring forth both salvation and destruction.

Salvation for the galaxy. Destruction for the ones willing to take it away.

**Please Review!** **So how was the start of it?**


	2. Awakening

Chapter 1: Awakening

**A/N: Before anybody goes to the chapter, I will warn you that there isn't really much talking in this chapter for specific reasons. So don't complain if it gets boring without dialogue. You'll know once you read on.**

**A/N 2: These italicized quotes at the beginning of each chapter (from here on out) are NOT from just ONE of the six's point of views. It's the thought that's within ALL six of them at the time of the chapter. Make sense?**

"_The world we lived in… was it real? Or was it all happening within a dream? Because everything I had seen seemed to be just so vivid. It was too good to be true. Indeed, it was a paradise. But whether it was true paradise or not? That remains to be seen, for I am using my eyes for the very first time." _

**Nearly 50,000 Years Later**

The man's eyes had shot open quickly as he felt the warm air engulf him after the cold energy had dissipated instantly. The change in the temperature of the confined space had shaken him away from the dream that seemed to drag on for years. Hunger and thirst were the first bodily craving that took him over, making him feel the dryness on his tongue and the emptiness in his stomach. Where he was? He did not know. But even if he attempted to break out of his prison, he still felt so weak.

Ted's eyes were aching horribly, making an almost unbearable headache course through him like a clap of thunder. He groaned; the sound that escaped his lips had made his throat reveal to be excruciatingly dry. The total blurriness that encircled him within his vision was taking too much time to define. And from not being able to catch the sharpness of where he was at, panic arose quickly. His breathing was heavy in a moment's notice and he looked at the bright colored lights on both sides of his well rested body.

The lights emanating from the buttons and gadgets was helping his vision clear up though it was progressing ever so slowly. His near sighted vision was almost to the point of good definition and he looked down to see that he was completely exposed. His body was highly muscled and greatly toned. Ted's eyes had averted lower and he squinted momentarily to assist where he was looking. He could see his penis lying flaccid and he finally brought himself to lift a hand - though it was a painful attempt due to the aches coming from his arms being used for the first time. He touched his member, confused about what was going on, and he blinked ever more ferociously.

Ted was startled as a loud static-like noise erupted within the stasis pod and a light flashed right above his face. A hologram was playing out right like a television screen but without the glass or any of the electronics. He stared at it intently as a blue colored woman appeared on it, a blank expression across her face as if she was void of any emotion.

The young man had not freaked out over her differed appearance. He only stared and listened as she began to speak, "Theodore… my name is Liara T'Soni. If you can see this message then I am no longer alive. Do not be afraid, for I am here to only reveal to you what has happened to your being since I carried you within my arms."

"This pod…" She continued, holding her arms out to show that he was not dead nor dreaming any longer. "…kept you alive and well, since my passing. Your body aged at a different rate than other humans. Though it's been almost 50,000 years since you were last awake, you have only the appearance of a young male in his twenties. The nanomites procured from this pod has helped build your muscular frame and kept your bodily functions active so as to not lose blood flow to your brain or organs."

Ted blinked at her words, barely recognizing that he was even able to understand what she was saying. He remained quiet as he let the hologram continue with her revelation, "Your dreams were only images that derived from the depths of my own mind. You have all the basic knowledge you will need. You can speak, think, listen, feel, understand, and taste… all from what I have given you to help your brain develop more humanly. Though your senses will be functioning perfectly, your ability to speak will take some time to recuperate; the inactivity within your throat has rendered you mute for a short while."

"But as I said, do not falter. It will come in due time. Your appearance has been well kept so you not need to worry about how you look when you reach the surface." The word "surface" had stuck to Ted immediately and he finally realized that the pod he was lying in was moving so slowly, it was as if it wasn't moving at all. "You are human and have developed normally like one. As soon as you are able to gain full functionality of your body, you will understand the images that will be coming to you. And when they come, you will understand what they mean, for they are a trigger by a touch of trust."

Liara paused for a moment, "What you will see will hold the fate of the entire galaxy. Do not take too long to comprehend them… everything will depend on it."

And as the last words left the hologram, the light it gave off disappeared, leaving Ted in a dimmed pod with the exception of the lighted buttons around him. A jolt in the movement of the pod occurred and he could feel it moving faster as it was becoming more bumpy. And before he could brace himself, the machine had suddenly started moving slowly again, and then stopped altogether. A steaming sound erupted as the top of the pod opened like a coffin, and a bright flash blinded him.

The fresh air had seeped through his lips and entered his lungs, sending a great euphoria throughout his body. Holding a hand over his eyes to block out the sun, he used quite a heap of energy to sit up, another ache coursing through him at a fast pace. His eyes had quickly adjusted to the brighter environment and he finally caught his first glimpse of a real world.

Averting his eyes around himself, he could see the green and plush world of Eden Prime; it's valleys vast with the sounds of birds and other creatures. The sky was as blue as the ocean; its clouds white and fluffy like pillows upon one of the most comfortable beds. In the distance, signs of civilization could be observed. It seemed like a great paradise for those who were willing to accept it and explore it's depths.

Ted kept his eyes to the world as he lifted a leg and moved it over the edge of the stasis pod, letting his foot touch the cold metallic platform and quickly followed by the other. Pressing his feet down, he used his hands to push himself off the soft cushions of the pod, and stumbling to stand. Nearly falling to ground, he managed to regain good composure and balance, keeping himself in the same exact position from where he stood.

He felt the wind press against his skin as he took his first step away from the machine; then another and another. In a short moment, his legs and feet had become accustomed to walking and he was standing at the edge of the highly elevated platform. His mouth fell open is utter awe as he looked down towards the valley floor then to the further green colored mountains that ranged off into a good distance. Though the words could not escape him due to his throat being numb from inactivity, his ability to think did not falter.

_Beauty._

The first thought that entered his mind. The world around him was beyond beautiful. There were no words to describe how it felt to see such a gorgeous view from high above sea level. A paradise beyond any of his wildest dreams that flashed in his mind from the past 50,000 years. It was almost as if he was living inside one of his dreams, though he knew it not to be true because he could already both feel and see the difference between imagination and reality.

Naked amidst the flowing winds and the warm sun, he closed his eyes, and took in a very deep breath, the feeling of freshness residing in his lungs like a perfect high. Chirping sounds could be heard from up above and he looked up to see a flock of four-winged rainbow colored creatures flying overhead. A smile plastered his expression and he watched as the flock had flown off into the distance and eventually disappeared through the brightness of Eden Prime's sun.

A sound of violent whistles struck his drum and he turned around in a blight of fear, watching as a pod had arisen from the ground - without his awareness - and the pod had opened with steam emerging from the machine to help equalize the pressure. Afraid of the sudden startle, he rushed back to his pod and crouched down to hide behind it to keep out of sight. He lifted his head high enough so that his eyes were peeking over the surface of the stasis pod.

Watching closely as another naked man had sat up, performing the same actions as he did when he first awoken from his slumber. A hand covering his eyes from the brightness of the sun, and then planting his feet on the ground. Ted tilted his head in curiosity and stood up, keeping a close eye on the man who struggled to keep himself on his feet. The young man had walked around the pod he himself emerged from and stopped as he made himself noticeable to the newly awoken Cody.

Blue eyes gazing into his own, he didn't move anymore. Both simply stood still, looking all over in deep observation of the other's body. Every part and every muscle, they analyzed each other and eventually came to the conclusion that they were safe amongst each other. Ted and Cody inched close to each other, the distance between seeming futile.

Ted was the first to move and broke eye contact, lifting his hand to press into Cody's pectoral as if he was making sure the man was real or not. Curiosity rising in Cody as well, he reflected Ted's action and did the same, pressing his fingers in the skin. The act alone blared a picture that they were just as lost as a child would be in the woods with no idea on how to return home. As Cody dropped his hand away, Ted took slow steps around the other, observing every part of his being.

But as he reached the sight of his backside, he noticed a blemish upon his shoulder blade. Simply two black letters etched in his skin like a tattoo: IV. The roman numeral for the number four and Ted immediately concluded that he had another similar to that on himself since they both appeared from stasis pods.

Ted tapped Cody on the shoulder, catching his attention. A grunt was what came from his voice and he turned around to point at the back of his shoulder, giving Cody a hint to look where he wanted him to. The younger man looked at Ted's back, observing his bodily definition. And as his eyes trailed up, he caught an eyeful of what the other wanted him to look at: a tattoo upon his right shoulder blade as well but only with the letter "V" imprinted upon the skin. A curious feeling overtook Cody as he brushed his thumb across the tattoo on Ted's back.

Ted turned around quickly, reconnecting eye contact. Another question had risen and he pointed at Cody momentarily before pointing towards his own neck. Then he made an explosive gesture with his hand near the corner of his mouth, asking if Cody could speak. A shake of the head was Cody's answer and he pressed his fingers into his own throat, letting his voice attempt to spill out. But the only sound that edged over his lips was far too raspy.

Another pod had risen, startling both men - though Ted had taken in a deep breath, rolling his eyes because he was starting to get annoyed by the loud noises popping out of nowhere. They took a few steps back and watched as the pod opened, revealing a man with dark colored hair to open his eyes and repeat the same thing as Ted and Cody had done.

Wade had gotten out and stood to his feet, falling to the ground as he failed to manage to catch himself upon the upholding surface of the pod. Ted and Cody had got to him quickly, both of them grabbing a hold of each arm. Wade had looked at them - for the first time - confused. But the confusion had changed once he witnessed the smiles upon both of their faces. And as they were helping him to his feet, two more pods emerged from the ground, forcing them all to watch as everything continued to play over and over.

The first to step out of his pod was John and he didn't even allow his feet to touch the ground; he simply just fell to his knees, for the aches within his muscles were lingering for quite a while. Though he was upholding himself by pressing his hands firmly into the metallic platform, his breathing was still going in and out heavily. Cody had dropped his hold on Wade - as Ted was enough to help him to his feet - and proceeded towards John, laying a hand upon his back just underneath the "II" tattoo.

Ted had gotten Wade to his feet quickly and watched as Mike managed to stand on his own, rubbing the back of his head as if there was an annoying itch remaining. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the four other naked men in front of him and tilted his head. They all just stared at each other - including John who had shaken off the extreme numbness they all suffered for a short while - wondering what was going on. All five of them stepped towards each other, observing each body around. Major analysis was falling heavily within each of their minds.

Their staring session was cut short as the sixth pod had emerged from the ground, opening up and revealing the last of them. The last descendant took a few moments before he sat up, squinting his eyes from the sun. The other five stared at him as he dropped his hand from the front of his face and returned the gaze to them. Cody walked over to him holding out a helping hand to assist with the stumble he was sure he would endure momentarily.

Randy stared at his hand for a second before taking it and allowing him to help him to his feet. The same was repeated for him but it was shaken off completely as he and Cody walked over to the other four, completing the circle that had taken place 50,000 years ago. As they stared at each other, a voice had caught in the wind and carried towards their drums.

All six descendants looked towards the direction it was coming from and saw a little boy playing a model space frigate, making sounds like the bursts of gunshots. Waving it back and forth, the little boy had ascended further up the small mountain, and continued playing without even noticing the six men standing on the edge of the platform up above. Quickly, he reached the metallic platform and stopped once he'd seen the six men staring at him intensely.

The little boy hugged the toy towards his chest and dropped his eyes in shyness. The tense vibe that flowed from the six men was uncomfortable but he nevertheless let out a mutter that was barely audible. "Uh… hi."

No answer. They all just stared at him with curiosity. The boy took a few more steps closer and asked, "Who are you?"

The men just gave glances towards each other, hoping one would be able to come up with an answer for the little boy. Confusion showed upon the boy's expression and he lifted his head with pursed lips, "What's the matter? You're not gonna answer?"

Cody shook his head to answer "no" and the little boy raised his brow like he was only getting more confused about the men in front of him. He gestured his hand near his mouth and continued shaking his head. The little boy had dropped his mouth in understanding and nodded slightly, "OH!… You can't talk? But why? What happened?"

They all shrugged their shoulders, answering him with six "I don't knows."

"Well that's just weird…" he said scratching his head. "Can I ask you guys something?"

They nodded.

"Why are you all naked?"

Their stares were showing shock as an answer because it was an unexpected question.

"Because I can see all of your… big man parts."

All six of them looked down towards their penises - at the same exact time - for a moment before looking back up to the little boy, whose name they have yet to learn. Their eyes shifting back and forth in an embarrassing moment, for they had all forgotten they were completely naked as they had awoken from their long stasis. Not a single one of them even considered covering up, for they were not ashamed of what was showing due to the fact that their common sense had yet to kick in: they had not recovered the fact that being seen naked by others was frowned upon in some societies.

The little boy let out a chuckle and bobbed his head back and forth in a playful manner, "Do you need clothes? You can come with me if you want. My mommy would like to meet you… since she's always bugging me about making friends, I think she'd _really_ like it!"

The little boy turned around and began to descend from the elevated platform. He stopped when he realized that the six descendants were not following. He rolled his eyes and waved his hand towards himself, "Well come on! Just follow me to my house… but you guys are gonna have to sneak in because I don't think the people around my place will be happy about seeing a bunch of naked guys walking around."

He started skipping down as soon as he realized the six men were following him. As he was going down, he yelled out randomly mostly because he had forgotten about his manners, "Oh, I forgot to tell you… my name is Christophe. Nice to meet you!"

**Please Review! I'll admit, this has got to be one of the weirdest chapters that I've ever done in a story. Don't question it; just go with it. And their numbers have deep meaning to them but you won't know why until later in the story.**


	3. Legacy of Extinction

Chapter 2: Legacy of Extinction

"_Though silence was the only answer that could be given, our expressions were enough to give viable information about ourselves. Our first encounters with the citizens of this planet was exciting and indeed, strong… but for reasons unknown, we couldn't help but feel more lost than ever."_

"Ok, I'll admit…" Christophe paused for a moment as they came within range of the colony where his house was at. "You guys are like babies. I'm ten years old and it feels like I have more sense than any of you."

The six men only stared at him with blank expressions. Even they had to confess with thoughts alone - and despite how young the boy was - that he had great grammar and common sense for somebody his age. They could only wonder what would come forth once they reached his house for some shelter and clothing on their backs. A fear of reprimand and riots for being so exposed was the first thought that came to mind after the feelings of self consciousness and embarrassment had settled into their refreshing development. All of their common thoughts and senses had yet to come in full but they were progressing fast even in the past 15 minutes it took to descend the mountain from whence they came.

"I'm sure if I explain what's going on, to my mother, she'll understand why you are all so… weird. As for the rest of the colony, I can't tell you anything about how they will act when they see you. So if anything bad happens, you know it'd be best to run away." He spoke and continued to walk gingerly through the grass that was plastered all over the planet. "But I'm sure that won't happen… so no worries."

Their ability to comprehend awkward and dangerous situations had fallen in the moment they stepped foot off the elevated metallic platform that withheld their lifepods. If the moment called for an action - even with the possibility of being shunned by an entire colony - they wouldn't hesitate to defend themselves, though it could only be done with signals. The six did not know what it felt like to actually fend off an attack; so they would obviously be unprepared if anything violent occurred.

"But since you all are like kids, I'll tell you that our colony has a really fun playground! I go there a lot after school and play." Christophe had stopped for a moment when a depressing feeling sunk in for a second. "But I always play by myself… Nobody here wants to be friends with me so I'm always alone."

He smiled again as he looked up and shook his head in high spirits then continued walking, "Now that I have you guys as friends, I can't be alone anymore! We can do all kinds of stuff together; like pretend to be soldiers, and shoot bad guys and scary aliens. Or we can play pranks on all the kids in my school that are mean to me and call me names!"

"Oh and then we can go to the valleys on the other side of mountain and play with the fishes in the stream and the animals on the banks and the bugs under the rocks…"

John was shocked at how active Christophe was and tapped Randy on the shoulder - who just so happened to be walking in front of him. Randy turned his head to look at the muscular man and watched as he put his index and middle finger together and pointed towards his own heart. Randy was confused as to what he meant but the feeling disappeared quickly as John raised his right hand as if he was lifting up in appraisal.

_ High spirited_.

Randy understood what John was trying to tell him and he showed his understanding with a momentary expression before nodding his head in agreement. As the time continued to pass, the six were feeling more and more comfortable communicating with each other, almost as if they had known one another for several lifetimes. The dreams they had in critical stasis were all connected closely like in a state of telepathy. Though they did not officially meet until now, it all seemed to be like it had happened before in another life.

"And then you guys can meet my Dad! He'll be coming home from working with the Alliance at the Citadel in the Sol system! Mom said he'll be here next week!" The little boy ranted so happily. "It's been like forever since I last saw him in real life. Most of the time, we talk through vid comm holograms. I can't wait to give him a big ol' hug and show him everything I made in school! And he can teach me how to operate an Alliance space ship!"

Wade listened on and rubbed his temple, wondering how many more ideas Christophe had to express through his chatter. He didn't mind the little boy - who hadn't even known them for longer than an hour - but he couldn't help but wait for the time when he decided to shut up. When their voices would finally become operable, he could already imagine that having a conversation with Chistophe would go on for ages; and a majority of the exchange would be carried on by him.

"And then he can give me my first Omni-Tool! Sure it's not new or anything but he promised he would give me one when he came back from duty. And then he can show me how to hack terminals and bypass locked doors… AND MAYBE HE'LL GIVE ME AN OMNI-BLADE WITH IT!" Christophe continued. The actuality of every possible thought running through his mind only made him more excited. "And with an Omni-Blade, I can start cutting things and stab the bad guys. Then I can put it in all the other kids faces that I have an Omni-Tool with a blade and they don't."

The colony was already within reach. Details of every feature within were easy to observe; the environment was green and plush with flowing grass and planted trees. The build of the houses were all connected by catwalks both above the houses and in front, like porches. Stairs were imminent along the front entrances and back exits of each house; the whole colony sharing one big front and backyard. But the one thing that seemed to be a problem was the citizens and children roaming around the colonized housing like a busy city street.

They followed the little boy into the shadows of one houses, hiding behind it quietly. In between the house and a small cliffside, Christophe had turned his attention to the six men standing behind him and muttered low enough so nobody could hear them from inner parts of the colony. "Ok, my house is just over there… I'm going to see if the coast is clear long enough for you guys to sneak in. After that, the only thing you have to deal with is my mother… and she can be a bit extreme."

Christophe pushed his finger to his lips to signal them to be quiet and he walked out from behind the house, averting his eyes back and forth to see who was nearby. Only but 20 feet away lied his own house but a couple of woman were standing in front of it, chatting away about random subjects concerning different aspects. The little one rolled his eyes at the coincidental time of the two standing there and he began to tap his chin in an attempt to figure out how to distract them from seeing the six naked guys back in the shadows.

And just before something possible had struck him, a cry was heard out by a little girl who was on the ground holding her knee in pain. The two women turned away and rushed over to her to make sure she was alright. Christophe smiled at the timing and ran back to the guys, waving his hand in a repetitive and rapid "come here" gestures as they came back into sight.

The six guys followed him and he peeked around the corner momentarily to make sure no one was looking. The perfect opportunity arose as all eyes were elsewhere but from their current position. Without hesitating, he took off running - with the guys closely behind him - and ran to the metal stairs lying in the front of his house. Deactivating the hologram lock on it with his fingerprints, the door opened, and he stepped to the side to wave them all into the living quarters of his home.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Before somebody sees you!"

All six men ran through the door and Christophe had sealed it shut once they were all surely inside. But before he could react to anything he heard his mother call out, "Chris, is that you? I have lunch ready if you want to eat something. I made your favorite…"

The woman paused after she walked out of her open kitchen, across a short catwalk, and into the living quarters of the house. Adorned with long and wavy brown hair, eyes the color of the blue sky, and a face that seemed normal for the higher class of people in luxury. And she was stricken dumb for a short moment as she saw six naked men standing in on the other side of the room with contorted expressions on their face. In a state of panic and fear, she ran over to her son and yanked his arm, pulling him away from the strangers.

"Who the hell are you guys?" She asked angrily, forcing her son to stand behind them. "Get out of my house!"

"Mom, no!" Christophe struggled against her hold on his forearm and shook it around to see if she would loosen her grip. "They're my friends!"

She quickly moved a few paces over and opened the drawer to a stand, pulling out a small pistol, and immediately aiming towards the mute men. Her hand was shaking as she did so but she kept her finger on the trigger nevertheless, "I said to GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"Mom, stop! They're friendly… they won't hurt you!"

"Chris; what have I told you about talking to strangers!" She growled at him but did not take her eyes of them. "You don't know what they could've done to you! And to make matters worse… they're all naked! What kind of perverts are you to show yourself to everyone in this colony?!"

"Mom… they can't talk! There's something wrong with their voices. And I didn't really mean to meet them! I was playing on the mountain in the south and these guys were standing up there… like this!" The little boy tried to get the whole story but the grip his mother had on his forearm was making him wince every few seconds. It wasn't the fact that she was made at him for it; it was only fear that was instilled inside her that caused her body to react so violently to any little detail of the scene.

"Mountain?" Her sons words were striking her constantly and she turned her eyes away from the six men and looked at her son with an intense glare. "The mountain to the south? What were you doing there? I told you that is not a place for little children to play! It's forbidden from any contact until the…"

Christophe's mother's eyes had widened with shock as she turned back to look at them, her face showing something similar to a reaction of finding out she was pregnant. The tension had left the atmosphere quickly and her grip loosened on the pistol, allowing it to slide off her skin and to the floor. The pause in her statement had dissipated and she finished it, "…until the Six would be born from past extinction."

"I forgot I wasn't supposed to go there!" He plead his case with his voice cracking from the fact that she was so close to shooting his friends. "But I got so lost in playing my game that I walked up there. And there they were, standing next to those weird looking box things."

His mother looked back at him with her state of shock still playing through and she began to shift her eyes around like she was overwhelmed with a massive amount of information that was not able to process. She shook her head, "Those weren't boxes, Chris… and this is… my word; it can't be."

She stood to her feet and walked into the living quarters slowly, choosing to remain cautious about the men standing close by. Walking over to a large bookcase, she skimmed side to side through her collection before laying a finger over the one that was colored a deep shade of blue. Taking it into her hand and opening it up, she flipped through the pages of the journal copy, coming to a stop after a few switches. Her eyes scanned the words quickly before she looked back up.

"This… is one of millions of copies of a journal found almost 400 years ago, here on Eden Prime. The original was deeply ravaged by the force of time." She stopped to take in a deep breath. "And Asari scientists were able to decipher what it's contents were and recreated it for every being in our galaxy to read. Translated to our language… we have been able to read what was within."

"This journal holds the memoirs of the life of an ancient Asari named Liara T'Soni. In it, she describes her adventures with the crew of the Normandy, her pain throughout the years of her lifespan, and the tribulations she overcame. But it was not completed…" The mother - who had yet to name herself - had walked over to a chair near a computerized terminal and sat herself down as if she was heavy exhaustion. "In the last few pages of what was written, Liara revealed that a plan to end destruction and mass extinction did not succeed. So in a haste, she came to this planet with a last resort."

The six men kept their eyes on her, continuing to listen on about the story of the journal, "As well as many know, Eden Prime is known for one of it's colonies of taking in orphaned children and infants. She proceeded to the, what is now called the Sypher colony, beyond the horizon and gathered six infants who were born at the far corners of our Milky Way galaxy."

Christophe was interested in hearing what she had to say mostly because he had never read the journal himself. Though he opted to get to it, his mother always kept him from him for reasons unknown. And now that he had the chance, his attention was at full capacity to the story.

"The first infant, born in the Minos Wasteland cluster on the uninhabitable planet of Pietas. The baby was found on a crashed frigate - by a rescue team given the mission to find the crash site - and running low on oxygen. His mother was found and confirmed but according to what she revealed before she took her last dying breath… there was no father. The pregnancy just happened without her knowing."

"The second infant was found in the far northern cluster of Sigurd's Cradle on the lowly populated planet of Watson. A garden world discovered to be the home of several species of animals that resemble terrestrial placental mammals. On an island, in a cavern filled with arthropods, a human baby was found, completely healthy and nourished. The parents of this child remain unknown to this day."

"The third infant was discovered in the Annos Basin cluster on the Salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh. A world likened to the jungles of Earth and teeming with life; the baby was found in the midst of a battle going on between colonies. Though human, the child was discovered to be temporarily adopted by a Salarian couple who had earlier announced that on one rainy night, the baby was left on their doorstep… with the origins of the child remaining in the dark."

"The fourth infant was born in the Apien Crest cluster on the Turian planet of Palaven. Though humans are susceptible to the solar radiation levels of the planet, the child was nevertheless birthed within one of it's most populated colonies. His mother was found in the shuttle as the sole survivor of a surprise attack on her company's station; pregnant and off duty but remaining on her station to prevent any space sickness that could harm her child. The Turians managed to help her deliver but she died during the birthing process. The mother's name was never discovered as her body mysteriously disappeared and the father was never found."

"The fifth infant was found in the Kite's Nest cluster on the Batarian homeworld of Khar'shan. A teenager was found in the midst of a jungle fire, carrying the infant through and through. Though the older died from massive smoke inhalation, the baby was unharmed because of a wet cloth hovering over it's face and keeping it's oxygen clean enough to thrive on. Though some attempted to find out who the teenage boy was, his name was never shed by light. And the baby was in the care of the alien species with it's past remaining unknown."

"The sixth and last of the group of infants was found in the Shrike Abyssal cluster on an abandoned Alliance cruiser orbiting the unique planet of Aphras. An Asari Justicar had found the child: alone and crying. It was never discovered as to why the cruiser was empty and left alone by all of it's crew members… only the baby was found and his ancestry is still not known."

They kept their eyes on her, taking in the information bit by bit. She was certain they understood her and continued to speak, "These six babies were brought here to Eden Prime to live under constant care. And while they remained here, they were given names by a nameless Hanar that simply touched them to see only their memories. Ironically, not one of the babies had a memory of their parentage due to the fact that they were not old enough to understand ancestry."

"Though their eyes could not define the world around them, their ears could decipher what was spoken in their earliest days. And through those memories of sound, their names were revealed." The mother stopped talking to give herself a breath but kept her hand on the page with Liara's writings. "Liara had discovered the babies and taken them to the mountain south of our colony; a mountain that was named Pinnacle Six. There, in the midst of chaos and destruction, she had given the children something that only they would know when they reached adulthood. What that 'something' is, I do not know. But upon the implant, a mark was given to each before she carried them out to live and grow in an almost eternal stasis."

"And after the time passes when the next generation has been birthed and evolved greatly… the six would awaken from their slumber and save us from destruction." The mother stood to her feet and turned around, rubbing the back of her head. "We are to be given salvation by the Six Descendants from a deathly force that she wrote to be from a place in the universe where no stars are formed. What it is exactly? No one knows… that's where the journal ends. Until now, we were beginning to believe that this journal held only stories of pure fiction since nobody has been successful in discovering any truth behind it. But if what my son says is true and you did come from the peak of Pinnacle Six, then everything in this journal actually happened."

"Liara had written this, all before it even played out… I suspect it to be the truth now because this all… this all just feels so surreal. Almost like it's too good to be true." She confirmed of her stance on the six men in her house and walked back to the bookshelf, placing her copy of the journal back into it's original place. As she turned around, a sight had caught her eye when the tattoo on Mike's right shoulder blade displayed along his skin. Without even thinking about her actions, she stepped close to him and brushed a finger across the tattoo that read "VI."

Mike did not falter under her touch though a shudder did wave through his body, for her fingers were a bit cold. She let out a joyful breath, as if she had just discovered a mine of gold, "You really are the Six Descendants!"

She walked behind Ted, observing his tattoo of the number five (V) written in roman numeral. Then to Cody with the number four (IV), then to Wade with the number three (III), John with the number two (II), and Randy with the number one (I). Quickly pacing behind them to see the numbers, she couldn't help but look at how well built they were; the real eye catch for her being their glutes. She did not linger for much longer and walked out of the room, leaving the six men standing there with confused expressions on their faces.

"Give me a minute. I'll be right back."

Noises could be heard coming from across the housing; the breaking of glass objects, other material falling to the floor, and the heavy steps of her feet. After a few minutes had passed, she walked back into the living quarters of her house, dragging a large trunk behind her. The brunette stopped right in front of them and released her grip on it, letting it hit the ground with a low thud.

"Well, here are some clothes for you… they're my husbands but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. He has a shit load of clothes anyways; the ones that he has yet to wear are in this damn crate. You all appear to be the same _size_ as him so everything should fit." She smiled while averting her gaze in trying to keep herself from staring at their "egos" for a noticeable length of time. She opened it for them.

She turned on her heel to walk out and give the men some space in clothing themselves. She paused before she made her exit yet again, and spoke loudly, "By the way, my name is Hope… and when you're done getting dressed, come to the kitchen, I have food waiting. And then after we're done eating, let's see if we can figure something out that'll help your voices come along quickly so that you won't be so quiet. And since there's six of you… it is going to take awhile."

Christophe had jumped to his feet, randomly pointing out, "Well that didn't go as well as planned but I guess it'll suffice."

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	4. Harbinger's Beacon

Chapter 3: Harbinger's Beacon

"_As a few days passed, our voices were improving… slowly but surely. Not one of us could talk longer than an hour before the strain had reemerged to silence us of our 'yet to recover' human nature. But hovering over the generosity of friends, something still didn't feel right. I can't pinpoint what it is exactly but I can feel it desperately wanting to be recognized from deep within. For reasons unknown, that black feeling seemed to revolve around the definition of destruction."_

"Wade!" The voice was so familiar to the man's ear. It was no doubt Christophe, awakening early in the morning for the third day in a row, and begging for him to wake up out of his blissful sleep. The call of his name was repeated. It was so loud it almost felt like it was within Wade's dream itself, making him groan with annoyance. "WADE! Get up, you big butt!"

The Brit began to stir from his sleep and he cracked an eye open to see the little boy adorned in some jeans and a hoodie, and standing right next to his bed with a huge smile on his face. In a low raspy voice - mostly derived from the faint of being halfway asleep - he asked him with slight agitation, "Wha' do yeh want?"

Christophe raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "What do I want? Don't tell me you forgot what you promised me yesterday? 'Cause Mom said if you break a promise then the bad aliens will come from dark space and take you with them to be their slave."

"Then I'll gladly be a slave…" Wade attempted to end the conversation early and turned his head over on the pillow, planting his face into it again.

It had been like this since they had been given shelter by Hope: Christophe would wake up before the sunrise and bug him about going out to play and do entertaining activities. And ironically, the little boy had taken a huge liking to Wade in particular while the older man had found him to be a bit annoying at times. He merely assumed that the "opposites attract" concept had come into play. The young one didn't give a lot of time to let anybody sleep, for he had way too much energy to even consider the thought of rest. His hyperactivity was only a blessing to his mother; and the fact that he made friends with the Six Descendants appeared to be all too fortunate for her son.

Over the days, the Descendants had developed their voices quite profoundly but only in secret. Hope and Christophe had kept the six's identities a secret until the time was right for them to be revealed. Surely, the citizens of the Leore Crane colony were introduced to the men but only as homeless men and now fellow colonists. Due to their body's still reaching full development, it was a safe guard to keep them under wraps until they were ready to handle such badgering and questions that were more than likely to come from the people.

"But you promised we would do it first thing in the morning! C'mon, get up and let's go!" Christophe cried as he grabbed Wade's arm and began to tug on it. But his smaller stature and weaker strength didn't shift the sleepy man by even an inch. It was obvious that he wouldn't give up on trying to get him out of bed since he continued to yank on his arm while repeating his name over and over. "Wade, Wade, Wade, Wade… Wade. C'mon Wade."

"It's not mornin' yet." He muttered trying to ignore the badgering.

Christophe gave one hard tug and his hands slipped on his arm, letting him stumble backwards into a pile of clothes. As soft as it was, he felt his butt hit the metallic floor and he grumbled, "Ouch…"

Chris saw a large paper back book lying on the floor and picked it up while rolling it as tightly as he could. Standing to his feet quickly, he stomped back over to the bed and whacked Wade on the back of the head with it, "You promised!"

He turned his head again to crack another eye open and look at the boy who was practically pouting his way through the confrontation. Wade rolled his eyes and bounced his head off the pillow in agitation before pushing himself up over the mattress, "Alrigh, I'll get up. If it'll get yeh to be quiet."

"YAY!" Christophe cheered and skipped out of the room that was the current home for the six men. Wade groaned again and turned to his side before throwing the blanket from off of his body. The Brit had gotten to his feet slowly, stretching as he did so, and let out a long yawn that flowed in the atmosphere of the small room. Scratching his hip through the fabric of his black boxer briefs, he raised his eyebrows lazily when he heard Mike moan from behind him.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to give in this time." Mike mumbled without turning over to make eye contact. He shifted his arm underneath his blanket and pulled it out to rest it right over the point above his ear. "You relinquished quicker this morning than you did yesterday morning… the boy is well determined to make sure you get up."

"And tha' would be the benefit of makin' friends with a ten year old." Wade replied sarcastically as he threw a gray shirt over his head and put it on. "He 'as way too much energy for somebody with the likin' of his size. I'm beginning to believe tha' he is not 'uman."

Mike chuckled and turned over in his top bunk, cracking his eyes open to look at Wade who was putting on a pair of pants while mumbling nothings to himself. "Just entertain him like you did yesterday and the day before that… and the day before that."

"Oh the smart ass remarks…" Wade smirked as he buttoned and zipped up his pants. "You wan' be like tha' then, Michael? Fine; we'll see who's laughin' when I do this… Oi, Christophe! Michael is awake as well, yeh wan' 'im to come too?"

In the other room, the little boy could hear so clearly and yelled with a happy tone in his voice, "YEAH!"

Mike rolled his eyes and fell back into his mattress, letting out a grunt of discontentment. Throwing his hands in the air for emphasis, he told Wade, "Oh, you're an asshole… Why you gotta bring me into it? You know I hate the way you fish… Grabbing them with your bare hands is just gross."

"Oi, it's a gift, Michael. Still awkward that I jus' learned 'ow to do it myself." Wade smirked as he sat on his bunk to put on his boots. "And besides, I think some fresh air will do yeh some good. It might get yeh to shut up every once in awhile 'cause ever since yeh began to talk, yeh never learned how to stay quiet."

"Stop. Calling. Me. Michael." He growled and sat up in his bed, glaring a hole into Wade's eyes. "It's Mike… just Mike."

Wade rolled his eyes, "Fine, Michael."

"DAMN IT!"

* * *

The sun had barely risen over the horizon of Eden Prime when the other four men had woken from their blissful sleep. One by one they got out of bed, dressed casually, and ate breakfast along with Hope who was awfully quiet throughout ordeal. Not one of them was sure about what was going on that was causing her jitter. Her quietness only empowered the feeling that something was not right because after the few days that passed, she had badgered them with questions about their purpose. And the only answer she had gotten from any of them was pure and utter silence, for nobody even had a clue.

The men from Pinnacle Six were still lost themselves even with the idea of beginning to fit into the Leore Crane colony. The people were friendly; though vast in different species' consisting of both humans and Asari as well. Though most Asari beheld a profession that added a contribution to the Alliance, there were very few that were just simply living as citizens. And coincidentally, these primitives were just that one aspect. But nevertheless, the colonists had accepted the newly inhabited men into their home with great hospitality and graciousness.

The time would come eventually when they would have to reveal who they truly were underneath the façade of just "simple colonists." But that truth would not be brought about until they discovered what their purpose was. As was described within Liara T'Soni's journal, the Six Descendants were put into extreme stasis to only wake up when the next generation has fully evolved to resemble what lied within the previous. She described a chaos that would ensue because of evolution and therefore, destruction would follow from the deepest voids of dark space. And when the destruction flew in on wings, the Six would know what to do with the implants in their minds. But the words in the journal were empty of meaning, for nobody knew what Liara had given them the day she had sacrificed her life to save theirs.

Even the Six Descendants had yet to discover what was given…

Not too long after breakfast was finished, John, Randy, Ted, and Cody had left the house to go about and run a few errands for Hope - she had laid a list of things that needed to be done on the table by her own private terminal. It wasn't much to run on but it would keep them occupied for a couple of hours or at least until Wade, Mike, and Christophe had returned from their "soon to be rising" habit of before morning fishing in the creeks and rivers to the north of the colony. All the while, Hope had remained at home, keeping herself preoccupied with household chores; but all for the reason of what was lingering in her mind.

The night before she had been in vid comm conversation with her husband, Gabriel. At the start, she was happy to see him until he revealed that he would not be coming home for another two weeks because of some recent disturbing activity going on in the Far Rim of the galaxy. It was not a mission of the Alliance but an observation task assigned only to those who volunteered for the job; and he had partaken into it. And since that exchange between them had occurred, she couldn't help but feel like she was alone and out of love. Seeing him gone for so long, her heart was being torn in two. And the worst part of the scenario was how she was going to tell Christophe, for he was so excited for his father to finally return home after a long time away.

The time had passed through quickly, and John and Randy were paying for the food that was Hope needed for tonight's dinner while Ted and Cody were a few feet away keeping a lot of the colony's children occupied with standard games in the park. The cashier had finished the input onto her terminal and came up with the total, "That'll be 500 credits."

"500? And here I thought this store was cheap…" John exclaimed, holding the food in his hands.

"This store is cheap, sir… if you're looking for luxury then you can try Pollup's Fine Requisitions to the northeast. His food is top notch and absolutely delicious… though the price of meat there is double what it is here." She smiled as genuine as possible without having to scare the two men into never going to the other store for better quality food. "Anyways, that'll be 500 credits, sir. Will this be paid up front or should I put it on the Kel'Lars Alliance Charge?"

"We'll pay up front… no need to charge Hope now, just so she can be forced to pay it by the end of the month." Randy confirmed as reached into his pocket to pull out the credits she had given them. He handed them over in exact amount and they walked away from the counter and back towards the park to meet back up with Ted and Cody.

John groaned as he held the food up high, "You know… you could help carry these."

Randy smiled sinisterly, "I could… but I choose not to. Besides, it looks like you have everything under control."

John rolled his eyes and continued to carry the load despite his protests for being the only one to do so. Ted and Cody were being tackled by several kids - both human and Asari - who were taking an extreme liking to them for their playful side even in their adulthood. Ted had an Asari child in piggy back while Cody was carrying a set of twins over his shoulders - one in each arm - and draping them over his shoulder like he was about ready to slam them to the ground. Several others were simply trying to just take them down while screaming the word "giants."

Randy had started yelling their names while gesturing for them to get back home to help Hope with anything else she needed, "Hey Cody… Theodore! Time to head back!"

Cody shaped his thumb and index finger to signal him, "Alright!" He dropped the two kids in his arms and told them regretfully, "Sorry kids, but we got to go. We'll play again later."

John let out a huff and watched as the kids pouted, and Ted and Cody said their byes as they made their way over to them. Before they got within earshot, John let Randy on an idea, "You know, I think I know what we can call Theodore now. Using his real name is just way too much of a pain in the ass."

"And then there's the fact that he doesn't really like it. So what'd you have in mind?" Randy asked curiously as Cody and Ted finally reached them.

"How about Ted? It's kinda similar to his name and it's nice and simple."

Ted had overheard the comment and rushed forward, laying his hand on John's shoulder, and startling him enough to nearly drop the food from his hands, "I'LL TAKE IT! As long as it'll keep everybody from saying 'Theodore,' I'll gladly accept it… and without hesitation as you can see."

"Okay then." Randy spoke randomly, scratching the back of his head. "You're name is now 'Ted!'"

The house was within eyesight and the four men were walking calmly as they usually would. A flash of pure black colors ceased them from moving; it had come entirely out of nowhere and it was only something that they felt themselves since the other colonists appeared to be unaffected. They looked at each other and Ted had broken the momentary silence between them to assure himself that he was not the only one. "Did you guys feel that?"

Randy nodded, his eyes showing caution, "Yeah…"

And almost as fast as it struck them the first time, a ear piercing ringing had erupted and began to cause an unbearable pain in the back of their heads. It was a pain that was indescribable; and without a doubt all four of them were feeling it - at the same time and the same intensity. Within seconds of feeling it, they all fell to their knees, holding their heads in their hands, and letting out moans of their agony. Their vision changed from light to dark and everything had disappeared as they were engulfed by it.

* * *

"Oi, Chris… jus' watch wha' I'm doing." Wade pointed out as he stood in the two foot deep creek, the legs of his pants rolled up to his knees. He crouched down to a squatting position, and leaned his elbows upon his joints while averting his eyes to the water at his feet. "All this is about is patience… Be calm and still. No movements whatsoever. Just wait fer the fish to come to yeh. And lower your hands slowly towards the surface of the water."

Wade's voice began to fade as a fish came within range and squirmed by his feet. "And when they get close enough…" He thrust his hands into the water and grabbed the fish with both hands, pulling it out of the aquatic creek. "… yeh just reach in and grab 'em."

The fish flapped around in his hands in an attempt to break free but due to Wade's tight grip on it, there was no way it would escape. Christophe was staring in awe and started clapping his hands as if he had just seen the performance of a lifetime right before his eyes. As he let out his laughter of fascination, Wade couldn't help but reflect the feeling and smile as well. Weird because he found the little boy to be irritating ever since they met but for some reason, he just felt happy when he was around and they were doing activities together.

Wade tossed the fish to Mike - who caught reluctantly, even with the look of disgust on his face. The fish wiggled within his grasp and he dropped it into the hand woven basket to let it die naturally. Wade gestured for Christophe to go to him, "Alrigh', Chris… your turn now."

Christophe stepped into the water and stood right in front of Wade, copying his actions for fishing. Wade didn't move from behind him and guided him through, "Ok, crouch over… and be as still as yeh can be. Don' chase the fish; let them come to yeh."

The little boy was shaking with nerves while the water flowed through his small legs, his hands lowering towards the surface. Wade reached around both sides of the boy and took a firm hold of his wrists to keep him steady, "I'll give yeh a han'. There's a small school comin' righ' now. Jus' wait and be patient."

Chris nodded, and let Wade keep him still. The fish slithered around their feet and Wade whispered, "Now!"

The little broke from Wade's grasp and thrust his hands into the water, and grabbed a fish so tightly, he was practically trying to strangle it. And then he pulled it out, letting it wriggle about. Chris immediately smiled a big smile and turned around to show Wade the fish in his grasp, "I DID IT, I DID IT!"

Wade smiled and ruffled his hand through Chris' hair, "Great job!"

And with that feeling of triumph, Chris tossed the fish to Mike who caught it yet again, and put it into the basket. "Uh Wade? Can we head back now? I need to wipe this slime off of me…"

"Oh alrigh' yeh damn fairy."

"I am not a fairy… I just don't like being dirty; that's all. Right, Chris?"

Christophe smiled, "Right, you stupid fairy."

Mike rolled his eyes as he closed the basket and threw it over his shoulder, holding the strap on it, "You're a bad influence on him…"

"Wha' can I say? The kid likes me."

The fun time they had catching fish in the stream had passed by so quickly; Christophe didn't want it to end since he was barely learning how to do it. But he was willing to hold his head up high because he managed to catch a fish on his first try - and he indeed found it to be a fun sport. Satisfaction had settled in and he walked in front of Wade and Mike, wanting to be the first on there to show and brag to his mother that he managed to catch a fish.

The attachment he was growing towards Wade was not really something for a call of concern but one couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with his father being away for so long. And he had yet to discover that his father wouldn't be returning for another couple of weeks; a situation that he would definitely frown upon because he sincerely missed him. The distance between them only seemed to be tearing him away from his father's love, and replace it with the idea of older friends.

The three had stopped when a bright flash occurred in the sky and they all looked up to observe the source of it. Through the flash of varied colors, a metallic object was scorching towards the ground, it's body burning brightly in the atmosphere. The more time that passed, the faster it seemed to move. And in seconds, it reached the ground but came to an immediate halt before impact, hovering for a moment before settling to the ground softly.

The object was pillar shaped, sharp with multiple point at it's top but it's bottom cylindrical and flashing with blue outlines under the black exterior. It did not move nor did it give off any vibe of danger but Wade and Mike were cautious of it due to the fact that it happened to touch ground but only a few feet from where they were. And such a coincidence could not go unnoticed or without caution. But both men were caught so off guard by it's sudden presence, they did not take recognition to Christophe moving towards the pillar in curiosity.

Wade shook his head of the surprise and averted his eyes to the little boy who was raising his hand to touch it, "CHRIS, STOP! Yeh don' know wha' tha' is."

And he soon began to rush forward to keep him from touching it but the little boy was already within reach and he laid a hand upon it. The moment his fingers made contact, a flash of black colors stopped him; and both he and Mike were dumb stricken with an intense ringing in their ears. Not too long after the flash occurred, they fell to their knees, holding their ears in agony, and everything had gone black around them.

The Six Descendants were not unconscious but neither were they caught in reality. It was an unknown form of limbo, for all of their eyes were looking to the ground but they could not see it. Everything was dark and smothered in the pitch of shadows.

Wade's eyes were not seeing the grass under him, his mouth could not open to speak of his pain, but his thoughts remained intact, and he simply spoke to himself within his mind, _"Fuckin' hurts…"_

_ "Wade? Is that you?" _The voice had sprung from the darkness but it's source could be discovered. The tone and pitch of it was all too familiar and it was then that Wade knew who it was.

_ "Cody?"_ Wade spoke through his thoughts. _"Yeh can hear me?"_

_ "Yes… and you can hear me."_ Cody paused for a moment before continuing. _"Are we… hearing each other's thoughts?"_

_ "I think it's safe to say, we are." _Another voice cut in and it was recognized as Randy's. _"What just happened?"_

_ "I don' know… and I doubt anybody does." _Wade replied. _"There was this ringin' in my ears and then this pain jus'…"_

_ "Just shot in through the back of your head?" _A fourth voice interrupted him and it was recognized to be John's. _"Yeah… we just experienced the same exact thing."_

_ "John… How in the hell are we hearing each other's thoughts? Does this have anything to do with us being from the past?" _Randy asked confused, his voice a bit jittery from caution.

"_ Could be… but I wouldn't be so sure about it." _Mike jumped in with his own thoughts. _"I think were still awake… but we're not seeing what we're supposed to; like hallucinations."_

_ "Mike. Like hallucinations? But what happened that could've caused this?" _John asked.

_ "This pillar had fallen from the sky and implanted itself to the ground… and Christoph had touched it. After that, I just felt the ring in the ears." _Mike answered as sure as he was.

_ "Why would you let Chris touch something when neither of you even knew what it was?" _Ted had finally entered through the conversation of thought, his tone seeming to show a bit of anger. _"What were you guys thinking?"_

_ "We were just surprised by what it was, we weren't even paying attention. The kid just approached it and touched it…" _Mike answered as honest as possible.

_ "Well now what do we do?" _Ted asked, hoping one of them could give him an answer.

A loud noise had caught them by surprise and they looked up to see an excruciatingly large dark red light hovering above them in the darkness. At least 30 feet in diameter, the light began to flash when a deep and monstrous voice erupted - almost as if the light was an embodiment for what was being spoken. The screech it gave was so loud, it echoed within the shadows surrounding them making them feel smothered in what was giving it.

_ "We know you can hear us, humans, for Harbinger's beacon has concluded. And we are very aware of who you are… you're safety was defended in hopes of preventing us from fulfilling our purpose. A purpose that we have performed and executed every 50,000 years to control the chaos. You believe you are the victims of destruction, when it is you - organics and sentient beings - who are the criminals in the cycle of evolution. It is within your nature to destroy yourselves and everything around you."_

The Six Descendants only stared at the large hovering red light, watching intently as it flashed over and over with the words being spoken.

_ "You're minds hold the key to what you perceive to be your salvation; when in all reality, it is your destruction; your extinction. Even if you discover what the Asari primitive had given you, the attempt to save life will be but only in vain. A deception to only prolong your suffering and inevitable fate to die. We are not the criminals nor are we the destroyers. Our common, is only to control the chaos. And by ending the cycle, do we regain control of the galaxy; and the next cycle begins. But only until we are summoned for the next time of extinction." _

_ "We do not bring war. We only bring peace. And your destruction will bring control. Do not attempt to fight us, for your defense will only be torn down as well as your spirits. We must control the chaos, or the chaos will destroy both yourselves and the galaxy." _The voice had paused for a moment. _"You each hold a piece of what the Protheans hoped would end the purge. What the previous generation named the Crucible, will not save you. It is only natural that your lives end; no forerunners of war and conquest. Your cycle's extinction will bring forth a new generation of organics, and everything will start anew."_

_ "Do not fight the ancient machines. Only allow us to do what is necessary; and what we have done for millions of years. This cycle is coming to an end, for it's technological advancement has reached it's peak to cause self-destruction. And we have already awoken from our 50,000 year slumber in the far reaches of Dark Space. In three months, will the chaos begin to fade. In three months, we will begin to cleanse this galaxy. It is only a matter of time before we fulfill our purpose yet again: harvesting organics. Do not deny the old machines… for it will only prove nothing but false hope."_

_ "What you refer to as Reapers, matters not to our purge. The first will be the last in the pattern of fate."_

The red light had faded quickly and the darkness around them had vanished, leaving back in the fabric of reality of Eden Prime. The pain had dissipated and everything seemed to be normal again. There distances between each other didn't falter their actions as the Six had gotten to their feet; but their minds still lingering over the talk of the end of life.

The words of Harbinger echoing in their ears with the words of extinction and destruction brought forth by an ancient race of machines. A race that was designed to end life in order to control chaos. But what they had just experienced, only left them with one question: how could they save the galaxy with something they knew nothing about?

A design of the Crucible implanted deep in their minds - each of the Six holding a piece to it's creation. Three months was all that given for them to figure it out… three months to discover the key to the galaxy's preservation… three months to prepare for the arrival of the Reapers.

**Please Review! Did anybody recognize the Disney scene reference at the beginning of the chapter? What movie was it from?**


	5. The Crucible

Chapter 4: The Crucible

"_Harbinger… The Reapers… Extinction. We're given a purpose. And that is to save the galaxy from a destruction that none have been able to defeat. Ancient machines, that have been living in Dark Space for millions of years, are coming in three months. And we hold the key to stopping them. But how do we stop them with something we have yet to know ourselves? If anything, we must discover how to unhinge our minds to retrieve what is needed: The Crucible."_

The Six Descendants had gathered on the peak of Pinnacle Six after Wade and Mike had taken Christophe home, and the others had dropped off the food that was for dinner later tonight. Not a single one of them had given Hope an explanation as to why they were going out for a little while at the time they had told her; they chose to keep the whole ordeal to themselves. Though Christophe had witnessed what happened to Wade and Mike, they made him promise not to tell his mother anything until they figured everything out for themselves. The sincerity in his voice when he made the promise was enough to convince them that he would not betray their trust.

Fortunately enough, when Randy, John, Ted, and Cody had fallen to their knees near the front of the Kel'Lars house, not a single colonist had even noticed; almost as if it hadn't happened at all. Despite the pain they had to endure to hear out the message Harbinger had sent them through the power of the beacon, they chose to keep everything a secret. And the one place where they could gather and not be seen or heard, was the peak of the mountain where they had awoken; for the colonists were forbidden from going there until the Six had risen. And even then, the people had yet to discover that the Six from the past generation had already done so.

The planet's sun was high in the sky, burning brightly to keep them in the shear of light. The winds were gusting greatly with the higher altitude of Pinnacle Six, keeping their bodies cool and fresh under the clothing they wore. Only but a few days before were they on the metallic platform that beheld their lifepods - one for each them. Furthermore, the Six had only met each other on that same day of awakening, and they had felt like they knew each other for several lifetimes throughout the stage of stasis. Their bonds were born stronger than anything ever known.

Thoughts and endless possibilities were running rampant within each of their minds, driving away at a hundred miles an hour. The course of doing so was forcing a headache to settle in and it was driving them beyond maddening. Trying as hard as possible to come up with an idea as to what the Crucible was, it was only coming to no avail. And by extension, they didn't even have a clue as to what the Reapers were nor of their power; especially if they were created to simply control chaos. If they ended a cycle every 50,000 years then nobody in the past has been able to stop them from their paths of destruction.

The life pods upon the peak of the mountain had disappeared, presumably back into the ground from whence they emerged deeply. The platform was rigid and flat like a hardwood floor, the perfectly spaced grating showing only the rocky crust of the planet. The large crane like structures that were placed at the four corners of the platform remained as still as they day the Six had risen; each one's top end curved at a wide degree angle to appear parallel to the platform.

The six men were spread about lazily; Randy, Wade, and Cody standing in the center while Mike was sat along the edge of the platform - with John and Ted standing behind him - and staring at the serenity of the valley below with it's creeks plush trees. Each of them were thinking the same and were so dangerously close to just exploding with frustration. Harbinger's message was indeed driving them insane with more questions than answers that could help decipher their purpose in this life's cycle.

"Hey guys…" Randy broke the dead silence between them and waved for John, Mike, and Ted to join them in the center of the Pinnacle Six platform. As soon as they were close, Randy continued to speak, "So… what do we know of this Crucible? Other than that it's supposed to help us save all life in the galaxy."

"Gee; no pressure or anything." John grumbled coherently as he rubbed the back of his head with the thought of having the fate of all worlds in their hands, driving away in the back of his mind. "Well according to what Harbinger said, we each hold a piece of the Crucible within our minds. The only real problem is: how do we recover that kind of information when we don't know anything about it?"

Ted rubbed his temples in aggravation and threw them about wildly, "Damn it! This is just so fucking frustrating… we have the information about some kind of weapon or whatever, to help defeat a merciless race of machines hellbent on ending life all over the galaxy, and we don't know a thing about how we can help ourselves see what it was that was given to us."

"I'm gonna have to agree with him…" Mike cut in, crossing his arms as he did so. "I mean we have this _thing _implanted in our minds. So technically we know what it is but at the same time, we don't. So… what do we do to _know_ what we already know?"

"If only I knew… or any of us for that matter." Randy answered with a sigh, rubbing his arm of a random chill that sprung from the high winds. "But how do we know Harbinger was telling us the truth about these Reaper machines? What if it's all some kind of distraction to prevent of us from discovering our true purpose for saving this galaxy?"

"That's possible but why would it throw us off with some shit bag story about ancient machines only wanting to control chaos? In fact, a chaos that it was so sure that would derive from organic's life own nature to destroy itself." John questioned the unlikely possibility, confirming it with the words that resulted from the signal of the beacon.

"But wait, wait…" Ted spoke aloud to make his piece heard. "I remembered what I was told when I first woke up in my lifepod. A hologram of Liara T'Soni had told me that _what I would see would hold the fate of the entire galaxy. _And that I shouldn't take too long to understand them because everything will depend on it… That's more than just a coincidence. The talk of Reapers and the end of this life cycle must be true."

"Yeah, I'd seen the same thing as well when I woke up." Cody said to relieve Ted that he was not the only one. "And I'm certain all of you saw the same thing as well. She must have really given us a piece of this 'Crucible' thing; if not then why would we be here?"

"Yeah… I saw it too." Randy whispered, as well as John, Wade, and Mike who confirmed the action of the hologram as well. "But what did she mean when she said 'what we would see?' It's a bit cryptic to just be meant literally."

"I agree. Maybe we're missin' some signs tha' we're supposed to recognize or somethin'." Wade spoke clearly, trying to help with some ideas of his own to help their cause for discovery. "Obviously we haven' looked where we ought to. Wha' did we not see?"

"Maybe it's not something we're supposed to see but something we must feel." John asked randomly, the idea catching everybody's attention quite profoundly. "She'd given us a piece of it and we have to see what it is, right? Maybe we must feel it inside ourselves to know what it is… like an inner strength that no other can behold. Just us because of who we are."

Ted muttered to himself and averted his eyes to the ground, "A trigger by a touch of trust…"

"Wait… what did you just say?" John overheard his mutter and immediately intervened. "A touch of trust… I think I understand it now. Remember the marks on our backs?"

"What about them?"

"What if they have a special significance to the pieces of the Crucible we hold? We put them in order through a pact of touch… We trust each other, right?" John asked rhetorically though everybody nodded to answer regardless. "Alright then… Randy… you're 'one.' Hold your hand out."

Randy was confused about where this was going but at the moment, they were all so lost in their current situation and he only felt it was necessary to comply with John's request. Simply enough, he held his hand straight out and chest high, holding it still as John lifted his own. He hesitated for a second but he dropped his hand on top of Randy's anyways, the touch making their eyes flash brightly.

The color change dissipated almost instantly and John looked at Randy through his sudden - and out of nowhere - heavy breathing, "You felt that?"

Randy nodded rapidly, his chest moving quickly as well as if he had just ran a mile uphill. John looked towards Wade, bobbing his head towards them to gesture for him to do it next. "Wade… you're 'three.' Come on…"

The Brit looked frightened of what was to come but because of Harbinger's words still echoing through his thoughts, he knew he had no choice. He took in a deep breath and stepped forward, lifting his hand slowly before dropping upon the other two whose hands were still connected. The moment of touch caused his own eyes to flash the same bright blue colors as John and Randy's did just before. And when the flash disappeared, he began to breath heavily, gasping out, "Holy shit…"

The first three then looked at Cody - who appeared to be a bit weary of the idea - and showed their confidence with the looks of their eyes. Cody shook his head slightly and took in a very deep breath at an attempt to ease his mind. He stepped forward and practically slapped his hand upon Wade's, the same flash occurring in the colors of his eyes. He blinked fast as he tried to catch his breath from the euphoria that roamed through him, "Whoa…"

"Ted? Your turn…" John affirmed lowly. Ted walked over and did it without hesitation, his body reacting the same as everyone else - the bright blue colors in his eyes disappearing almost as fast as they appeared. Through the heavy breathing, he averted his eyes to Mike, as did everybody else.

"Are you sure about this?" Mike asked with a hint of worry coursing within. "What if we get stuck like that or…?"

"Mike, just do it!" All five of them yelled at the same time as if they knew that each and every one of them were going to say it. Mike only rolled his eyes and laid his hand on top of Ted's, his body shuddering from feeling driving through him. Eyes flashing and breathing driving, he waited a moment as they all just stood there with there hands touching in a proceeding of trust.

Their hands began to tremble, shaking them so violently that their body reflected what was going on. The brightened blue colors had returned to their eyes, bits and pieces waving around like binary code. And not of their own accord, their eyes suddenly became like projectors with beams of bright lights illuminating from them and concentrating on the grasp of their hands. A hologram appeared from their eyes and hovered in the small space above their hands.

Depictions of designs appeared within the hologram; a large spherical shape object showed itself before disappearing. Following suit, a beat could be heard, and a human heart flashed. A cylindrical shaped pillar with jagged ends showed before being taken out of the picture by a showing of a human brain. A large ring shaped object orbiting the pillar flashed and then vanished; it's remnants bringing forth the outline of a human body. A large crooked ladder shaped object appeared then followed by an eye with a white orb floating within it. Another picture of a large column of pure energy followed by a human touching it and disappearing. And furthermore, a hologram of a glowing blue field around the a large flower-like structure, and then a picture of a human holding his hands up as if he was projecting the field with the power of his hands.

And lastly, a picture of six men standing in a circle, their arms around each other like they were in a huddle, and then a force of light emanating from each of them. The light had flashed so brightly, it blinded them, and everything had disappeared. As the last of the contents in the hologram above their hands had come to pass, their eyes had returned to the normal color, and lights between them had died out.

They dropped their hands away from each other and hunched over like they were still out of breath, and blinked their eyes to regain the composure within. Not a second had passed before John had spoken yet again through his rigid breathing, "The Crucible… is… not a… machine. It's not… a weapon… either."

"I… saw that… too." Ted replied, struggling to stand straight while holding a hand towards his chest. "I think… we all… know… what it meant."

"Yeah… the Crucible is not… a machine like before… in the previous life cycle." John paused while his breathing was finally slowing down. "The Crucible… is… us."

**Please Review!**


	6. The Geth

Chapter 5: The Geth

"_We are the Crucible. That was one thing that none of us even saw coming. As in the previous cycle, the Crucible was a machine; a weapon to destroy an enemy of the ancients. But this time, it is not something that must be built. It is an aspect that we must learn about ourselves and the true power we hold within. A power that none can match. A power that can end the nature of our extinction."_

"So how are we supposed to prepare for something like this? And by extension, how are we supposed to save the galaxy from these things?" Cody asked blatantly, brushing his hands through his hair with a tone of defeat following like he was giving up before hand. "We can't just sit here and wait for the Reapers to come; and then we'll give them a fucking bullet to the head like a game of hunt… Nothing is ever that simple."

"I don't know. And we can't just go around telling everybody about this. It'll start a major panic and then the shit will really hit the fan before anything happens." Randy answered honestly, bringing up the major - and most likely - possibility that everything he just said was true. The consideration of the fact alone was enough to convince them that they would not tell anybody about the arrival of the Reapers until they figured out a solution that would assist with the coming war.

The Six Descendants remained on the peak of Pinnacle Six, thinking thoroughly about everything that just seemed to be piling on top of them. In less than a week, they had awoken from a 50,000 year act of deep stasis, regained their ability to speak, communicated with a Reaper that goes by the name of Harbinger, and discovered that they themselves were the Crucible: a weapon in the previous life cycle but in this one, a power within the minds of six humans. The only problem they still had with realizing their purpose was how to use that power - and unleash it all from within - to destroy the Reapers. And even then, they had no clue as to what a Reaper actually was. The only hints they were given was that they were ancient machines.

So much was happening in such little time. A great power given to each of them, and great responsibility falling upon them; it all seemed so surreal and so far beyond reality. They were barely learning how to live a true and decent life; attachments to other through the feeling of friendship, trusting those who were closest, feeling what it means to be human. Adding on the destiny of saving the galaxy just made them numb through and through, for it was just too much to gather.

"We'll just keep it a secret for now. But you do know we'll have to tell everybody about this, right? If we are to save these people, then we must warn them." Ted spoke as he stared deeply towards north of their position, keeping an eye on the colony far below. "Only question is, how do we get them to understand? I doubt they'll just listen to the newest guys in their home, who come up with _some_ story of machines called Reapers, sweeping through the galaxy to end all life for some vicious cycle to control chaos in a fragile civilization."

"I didn't even think about that…" Randy added to his statement, rubbing his chin as he averted his eyes to Ted, who only kept his back towards them as he continued watching the colony. "I thought it would cause a panic if we just told them straightforward but yeah, you're right. Do we even know if anybody will believe us?"

Silence had fallen between them, the winds gusting being the only sound around them. As disturbing as the question was, it was actually the most plausible question that arose between them. An yet again - an aspect that seemed to happen quite so often - they had no answer nor a guess to relieve them of the uneasy feeling coursing through their spine. A tingle that did not feel neither good nor comfortable; it only empowered the disturbing picture set at their feet.

John, who was prone in a kneeling position, had stood to his feet slowly, allowing the tension in his mind settle before he turned around to give a look of determination to them. Taking in a deep breath and shaking his head slightly, he spoke sternly, "If they don't then we'll have to _make_ them believe us. They don't have a choice… As of right now, it's either life or death."

"Well if we are the ones to stop the Reapers then wha' about Chris? I can't jus' leave him here… His father is already gone and if I leave then he'll jus' fall apart." Wade asked, changing the subject so suddenly. Everybody looked at him through blank expressions for a short moment before changing to a cause for concern. Wade returned the bores of eyes and blurted, "Wha'?"

"You're really starting to get attached to the boy, aren't you? Just this morning, you were all 'ugh, he's driving me crazy.' And now you're worried about what'll happen to him?" Mike declared and repeated the events from this morning of what happened when Christophe had forced Wade to wake up. "Just admit it; after only a few days, you care about him."

"Well… after awhile he… yeh see…" Wade pouted and let out a grunt, rolling his eyes. "The kid is growing on me, alrigh'. I can't explain it but it's jus' so… weird. And it's happenin' fast, yeah."

"Wade… I know the kid is cool and so high spirited, and he's got a way with people that just makes them fall in love with him but he's not your son nor is he any way related to you."

"So wha' if I'm not related to him. Doesn't mean I can't show affection, does it?" Wade was a bit annoyed by Mike's sudden change of emotion towards the subject and gave a bit of an intense glare at him. "And who are yeh to say wha' I can and can not do with what I feel?"

"I'm not trying to break you away from him. I'm just saying that it may be a good idea if you just don't… get so close. This will probably cause some issues in the long run especially because of who we are. Are you willing to put him in danger when we go off to do what we have to?" The words rolling off Mike's tongue were getting to Wade's head. In a way they made so much sense but in a different aspect, he couldn't deny what he was already feeling. In so little time, Wade had grown attached to the young boy and he just wasn't willing to admit to himself that it would be a problem.

"I might have to agree with Mike on this one, Wade. It may be for the best if you don't let this become what it's growing to be." The least expected one to speak had suddenly caused a real awkward situation; and it was one of the Six who actually loved kids because he and Ted enjoyed entertaining the ones living in the colony. Cody kept himself expressionless as he continued, "Don't get me wrong. He's great and all… but you just shouldn't."

"Why are we even discussing this? I understand your concern for not jus' me but him as well; I really do. But I can't 'elp it. It's jus' happening so fas'. And I don' know how to control it. I mean, jus' this morning when were out fishing, he jus' seemed so…"

Wade had fallen silent as a scream broke through the winds that carried them towards the peak of Pinnacle Six. What began with one scream, turned into a barrage of quantity as more screams began to erupt as well, alerting the Six of them to a heightened awareness for danger. The sounds of horror were flowing from the quiet and quaint Leore Crane colony where their current home was located. The fact that something was going on had caused them all to walk to the edge of the platform and stare down towards the colony. And soon, what sounded like gunfire cut to their ears, making them run off the peak without hesitation.

"What the hell is going on?" Randy shouted as they tried to descend the small mountain as fast as possible.

In only a matter of minutes, they reached sea level, and rushed towards the futuristic land filled with homes and families, the screams emanating from it becoming for frantic. They willed their feet to move as fast as possible, but it was proving to be faulty when more gunshots could be heard coming from within the perimeter. They breached the line of houses and came across a dreadful sight when a horde of machine-like artificial intelligences, carrying Pulse Rifles, were gunning down the citizen without mercy. People were running for their lives in hopes of survival; but every chance given only egged the machines to take aim to the closely escapee and put them down with their weapon of choice.

The Geth were destroying everything. No one had a clue as to why they suddenly attacked the colony or how they managed to get in without being seen; but just as quickly as it began, Leore Crane was being demolished. Explosions erupted over the sounds of chaos and it created a barrier for the sounds protruding from the Geth humanoid machines. Their single light flashes that appeared to work as an eye for them were shifting back and forth to topple the population and shoot all within sight. Dozens were sweeping through the lands, walking slowly but moving with precision.

"We have to help…" Randy yelled as he ran towards a frightened woman who had fallen to the ground; a geth trooper stalking her slowly. He got there as fast as he could jumped on the back of the machine, wrapping his arms tightly around it's neck area. The machine began to struggle under his grip, trying to pry him off. He felt his feet touch the ground again, and he used his strength to push it to the ground on it's back. But as he did so, a blue field of energy emerged from the his hands and the geth struck the ground with such violent force, it's head collapsed on impact.

The woman did not take the time to thank him and took off running to the outskirts, leaving everybody behind. Randy only stared at his hands as if he had just discovered a gold mine. Questions wanted to escape his lips but all he could get out was, "What the hell did I just do?"

But hearing the constant screams, he turned around to continue helping, and move himself to assist more of the people.

Ted and Cody ran towards the park where kids were attempting to hide under the slide and inside the playing tubes, though the Geth had taken notice and followed them to it. Two machines were beginning to hard aim their weapons to the children, their thick fingers readying to squeeze the trigger. But just in time, Ted and Cody had reached the point of destination and began to initiate a fight with humanoid machine.

Ted had grabbed the trooper by the shoulder, forcing it to turn around; and as it did so, he caught the barrel of the weapon with his right hand and held it firmly, using his left to throw a punch at it's elongated cranium. At the point of impact, a field of blue energy erupted from his hand and the geth made a violent spin as Ted picked his foot up and gave it a hard kick to the chest - the same energy emanating from his kick. The geth trooper had flown backwards, rolling after it touched the ground, and it's head snapping backwards.

Cody had ran low and attacked the second machine's leg with a sweep from his arm, knocking it down to it's back. The disoriented trooper had shouldered it's weapon and aimed it at Cody from it's lower position but the man was already standing above it, his foot lifted to stomp on it's chest. The same field of energy surrounded his foot as it impacted the machines' chest cavity, allowing it make a hole clean through, with Cody's foot touching the grass. And the machine stopped moving altogether.

John and Mike had ran off further to assist a man who was being victimized by a synthetic machine larger than the other common troopers marching through. It's armor adorned in the color of red and it's three lights glowing an even darker shade of red. Without considering their own safety of the ten foot machine, they both ran at it, and grabbed a hold of it's side armor, pulling it back with great strength. The machine stumbled slightly but managed to maintain it's balance while John and Mike put themselves between the towering machine and the civilian that was covering his face with his hands.

Their hard glares only seemed to anger the artificial intelligence due to the fact that it raised it's larger Pulse Rifle weapon to gun them down. The two men looked at each other with John suggesting, "You go left high, I'll go right low?"

"Sounds good to me."

Mike had rushed to the left while John to the right, confusing the machine on which one to shoot first. But before it could react, John had jumped forward to punch the Geth Prime in the soft side - a blue energy field popping out as it connected - and a huge chunk of it's body just separated. While Mike had quickened over to jump high and punch it where it's gazing lights shined. The point of impact created a blue energy field and the Prime's head had snapped back so violently, that it snapped right off - sparks created by the cables and wires breaking from the neckline. And right after his feet had touched the ground, the large machine just collapsed to the grass, it's body colliding together with metallic _clank_ sounds.

Wade did not hesitate about where he would go: their home where Hope and Chris possibly still were. He panicked as he noticed a Geth trooper walking out of the house and down the stairs like it had just accomplished an important mission. And before he even realized what he was doing, he reached the staircase and tackled the machine down, knocking it's weapon out of it's grasp. He pushed himself up quickly - but remaining seated atop of it's body - and started delivering hard blows to the machines cranium. With each punch, the same blue fields of energy were being produced and in seconds, the head of the Geth Trooper was completely massacred.

His breathing heavy and his heart beating fast, he looked up the stairs, and took off running through the jammed opened door. Immediately, he began yelling, "Chris?! Hope?!"

No answer. He ran to the kitchen to see if either of them were there but to no avail. It was merely empty and that didn't cease to make him feel any better about the feeling that was rising deeply within the pit of his stomach. He ran further into the metallic housing and let out a gasp of fear as he'd seen the walls smeared with blood, and the body of a female lying on the floor, face up. A wound in her chest was the source of the blood puddle, her body as still as the night, and her eyes opened to reveal a placid color. It was her face that caught his eye, for it was Hope, and she was dead.

Wade ran over to her body and knelt down, looking into her eyes to see if she would react to him but the only thing that occurred was nothing but stillness. He dropped his head in sorrow and let his emotions get the better of him. But his state was interrupted when he heard a whimper coming from the cabinet of a small metallic dresser. The double doors to the center had shaken slightly and it really set him off.

Wade rushed over and opened the doors to see Christophe bunched up inside like a little ball, and crying his eyes out. The moment he noticed the doors open, he looked up to see Wade staring at him with concern. The feeling of pain lingering deeply, he leapt forward and wrapped his arms around Wade's neck, burying his face into the crook. The gesture was returned and the Brit had gripped him tightly as he wrapped his arms around the little boy as well.

And before anything could muster, Chris had cried, "They… killed… Mom."

Wade laid a hand upon his hand, brushing it through his hair, "I know, buddy; I know."

"Mom…" Chris cried into Wade's shoulder, his tears staining his shirt. "I want… my Mom back."

"I know it hurts… but we can't stay here. We have to go." Wade spoke as softly as possible as he got to his feet, keeping his arms locked around the ten year old. And as he walked slowly around the body of Christophe's mother, he tried to keep his head down to avoid him seeing her corpse. But over his shoulder, Chris managed to catch a glimpse of her and his cries turned more profound.

"MOM! No, no, no… MOM! MOM!" He cried heavily and Wade knew he had seen her, so he rushed out of the room with a screaming boy in his hands. Chris had loosened his grip on Wade and stretched his arms out forward as if he was attempting to reach desperately for her hand but the older man just kept his hold on him and carried him outside.

Wade approached outside, watching closely as the other five were already making their way to the house. And when they noticed that he was carrying a crying Christophe in his arms, they immediately knew something was wrong. Everything seemed to go silent around them as the Geth were continuing to raid through the colony. But the numbers were simply too much for the Six Descendants to handle, and they knew they had to retreat to a safer location. The only problem was: where would they go? The only home they knew since they had awoken was now being overrun by maniacal artificial intelligences.

They all listened to the little boy cry in Wade's arms. And Mike was the first to ask, "Where's Hope?"

Wade only looked at him through remorseful eyes and shook his head slowly, answering him with a gesture to tell them that she did not make it through the massacre. As soon as the question was answered, everybody just became affected so gradually. Wade's eyes were beginning to tear when he said, "I remember wha' yeh told me… but he's coming with us now."

Nobody objected; only nodded to agree with him. And nobody had to speak for them to leave the colony and reach the outskirts. Running in between burning buildings and over several dead bodies, they ran vigorously to reach safety. The smoke was becoming clearer and the fires were fading from vision, and the sky was becoming as blue as before. But as they reached the outskirts of the Leore Crane, certain things had caught their eyes when they looked towards the sky.

To the north - directly where they were heading - a variety and large quantity of ships were coming into sight. All resembling the same exterior designs of armor to the Geth roaming the colony. An entire Geth armada had arrived on Eden Prime.

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	7. Firebase Hollow

Chapter 6: Firebase Hollow

"_An armada of ships hovered through the sky, our eyes severed with the sight of an army of intelligent machines arriving on the planet. We did not care about what they wanted or how they managed to sneak in undetected. The only thing that mattered was getting ourselves to safety… and getting a small boy out of harm's way, for he was now our responsibility."_

The feeling of obligation had settled in far before they even reached the outskirts of the Leore Crane colony; each of them feeling so terribly about leaving the colonists behind. But including the quantity of Geth troopers storming the ground and the ships - that were carrying more in the masses - coming in through larger numbers, the odds of fending them off and saving an entire planet were far less than likely. And considering that they had yet to discover what they had performed just a few moments earlier, they did not want to risk running into a fight blindly.

The direction the ships were approaching from was clearly not safe for a way to escape the ravage of the colony. The Geth were moving through the lands fast and it was only a matter of time before they began attacking the other colonies on Eden Prime, further completing the process of destroying the planet. The number of safe havens seemed to be absolutely nothing until they considered the thought of retreating into the forested areas that lied to the northwest. It was not the best idea but it was the only option they had, for the colonies lying to the northeast over the plains were already smothered in the fades of fire and smoke. The Geth were calculating their attack; taking down everything at once to prevent the chance of resistance.

No words were spoken as John made a break for the forested area across the short distance of plains, and everyone else followed suit in great haste. The others were able to move just a bit faster than Wade, who was still carrying a crying Christophe in his arms. But the Brit did not let the extra weight stop him nor slow him down as he managed to catch a glimpse of the Geth armada ships making their way to the ground and land gradually.

The Six Descendants had reached the forested area, the leaves and shades of it's trees concealing them from the air. But they wanted to be completely out of sight, even from the forces on the ground, and chose to move in further until they could not see anything beyond what the forestry was giving. Eventually, varied shades of green was all that could be seen, and they began to slow down to take a volley for rest and a chance to gather themselves from the sight of blood being shed and lives being forcefully taken.

Soon enough, the group of men finally came to a stop. Wade had sat back against the trunk of a tree, with Chris' arms still wrapped tightly around his neck; his breathing remaining heavy despite the call for rest. Cody, Ted, and Mike were pressing their hands into the bark of other trees, leaning as they did so to maintain original composure and slow their heartbeats. While John and Randy were simply leaning on their knees, letting the light sweat drip off their faces despite the cool breeze that managed to seep through the tree lines and smother them with a fresh feeling.

Though their breathing was a sound that seemed to play louder than the wisps of the wind, nothing was breaking the barrier that was emanating from Christophe's constant whimpers and pleas for his mother, Hope. Wade did not know how to comfort him, for he knew nothing of the feeling of losing a loved one, nor the exact words to say that'll bring the little boy any slight hint of relief from the pain. The only thing he could do was just hold onto him, letting him know that he was not alone anymore.

"Mom…" Chris whimpered so lowly that only Wade could hear it. The pain in the little boy's voice only caused a reflection to smear across the older man's face, his bottom lip threatening to tremble. But he knew he could not falter at this time and he took in a deep breath, allowing his emotions to leave, and giving him the ability to stay strong for not only Chris but for the others as well. "I… want… my mom. I want… my mom."

"I know…" Wade whispered though it did not go unnoticed by the other five as they all picked their heads up to look at him through sympathetic eyes. The little boy turned his head to lay his cheek upon Wade's shoulder, continuing to let the tears flow down his skin. Wade reached over and laid a hand upon Christophe's head, his fingers barely entwining into the thin strands, "…I'm sorry I wasn' there. I'm sorry I couldn' do anything to save her… but yeh still have a father. And I know he's jus' waitin' for yeh to go to him and leap into his arms."

Chris lifted his head off Wade's shoulder at the mention of the word "father" and pushed himself up to look into the Brit's eyes, "Can you take me to see him?"

The idea of the question itself was a bit out of his hand but he took in another deep breath and let it out slowly, barely nodding as if he was hesitating to answer him, "I will, Chris. I promise yeh, I'll do everythin' I can to get yeh back to him. Jus' know that yeh are not alone anymore… Until yeh are back with him, I'll be here."

The little boy sniffled, and wiped his eyes with the sleeve on his small hoodie, "You promise?"

Wade let a second pass before he answered him with his heart bleeding with a favorable emotion, "I promise."

The other five were only watching with envious expressions, their minds set on taking responsibility for the young boy as well until he was reunited with his father - if he ever returned from the systems in the Far Rim. A real problem they had was figuring out how they were going to get off Eden Prime when their were Geth machines in every populated area on the planet. And furthermore, not one of them knew how to operate a shuttle or a transport ship to reach the grace of space.

They all finally caught their breath and gathered together to come up with a plan to escape the ongoing slaughter. Wade had put Chris down to stand up, though the young boy did not want to break contact, and grabbed a hold of the older man's hand, squeezing it firmly to make him acknowledge and return the gesture. They gathered together in circle to acknowledge their next plan of action, which meant obtaining a shuttle to escape the planet because they could not fight an entire army of Geth machines. Eden Prime was already falling. The only chance they had to survive was to leave everything and everyone behind.

"So what do we do now?" Cody asked first, looking between each of the men to see if any would bring up and answer. "There's an entire armada here with who knows how many more of those machines, and we know damn well we can't take on an entire army."

"I-I don't know. If anything, we need a damn ship to get off this planet." Randy suggested though he did not think the idea through thoroughly.

"But there's two things wrong: first off, we don't know where to find one and second, even if we do find one, how the hell are we going to operate it?" John pointed out, his expression somewhat quirky from thinking hard about the idea.

"There's a base about two miles northeast from here. They have guns and ships and everything." Christophe interrupted, his little voice still suffering whimpers from the loss of his mother. "They're probably taking people away on shuttles to the Alliance. Then we can leave too! And it's important if you guys talk to the Council on the Citadel. They'll want to know everything you guys know about saving us."

All six men stared at the little boy with shocked expressions. Mike who had raised an eyebrow and his mouth fallen slightly agape, "You are one really weird kid, you know that? You know far too much for a ten year old; it's a bit frightening, if you ask me."

"Well it's a plan and sadly it's the only one we have at the moment. We head northeast to call a shuttle for evacuation… if there's anybody left." John concluded. "At the rate these things are sweeping through the colonies, there probably won't be any shuttles by the time we get there. If we make haste, we may have a chance."

"Before we decide to risk our lives for something that may not even be there, may I suggest that John never uses the phrase 'if we make haste' ever again. Not only does it make him sound old but it also causes me to worry about his intelligence growth." Mike joked, gaining a laugh from Christophe. The other four only let out a chuckle at the comment while John rolled his eyes before giving him a loosened glare. Mike held his hands up in defeat, "Hey, it was just to enlighten the mood."

"Thanks, genius. The planet is falling to shit and you make jokes… Well it's flexible." John shrugged his shoulders. "Now let's just get out of here. We stay any longer, we might as well be serving ourselves on a silver platter with a sign saying 'Congratulations. Our asses are now yours.'"

* * *

Half an hour had passed before they reached the outskirts of Firebase Hollow. The smoke emulating throughout a majority of the buildings could be seen from across the horizon and blackened a large portion of the sky above of the area. The fires were burning drastically, turning the colors of the metallic structures into that of a charcoal aspect that gave off the bad smell of ash. Sounds of artificial intelligence were constantly striking the stuffy air, giving the group a solid picture that the Geth synthetics were still in the area, possibly still searching for survivors.

Moving quickly but cautiously, the group had crept over to the edge of the base behind a stack of crates. Footsteps could be heard from not so far away and the idea of making a run to find a way of communication, was far beyond out of the question. As Randy had peeked out over the edge of the chest high crate, he watched as a party of the machines were marching past with their rifles shouldered and ready for use, if needed.

A feeling of discontentment rolled into the back of his throat as he leaned back and out of sight. "Well they're still roaming through here, and quite tactically too. Which only makes this harder because we now know they're not messing around. If anything, we'll have to…"

Randy was cut off by the sound of excruciatingly loud gunshots that not only startled him but everyone else as well. The shots were not whistles so he knew they were not being directed towards them so he peeked over to see two large towers with guns atop of them, taking fire at a shuttle that was attempting to land. Though the blue colored ship did not take a hit, it swerved dramatically to avoid any contact. Shots continued to be fired as it ascended into the air to stay out of range.

Leaning yet again, he pressed his back into the crates and let out a sigh, "I'm guessing calling for help is now out of the question. They have those towers under control and are shooting down anybody who attempts to land here."

"Well let's take them down!" John spoke randomly, pounding his fist into his palm. "Now… does anybody here know how to control a gun tower?" Everybody gave him a hard glare through squinted eyes. He popped his eyes out and cocked his head back like he was expecting somebody to yell at him, "Ok then. I'll take that as a 'no.'"

"And here I was beginning to think you were starting to sound smarter than the rest of us." Cody announced sarcastically, crossing his arms and pressing his back into a heavy crate. "Maybe we can find some way to distract them while one of us attempts to shut down those towers."

"If only I thought of that." John rolled his eyes as he got to his feet but kept himself in a good crouching position so that he wouldn't be seen. "Alright, I'll get their attention while you guys make a break for the towers. Do whatever you can to shut them down and call for help."

"I'll help get their attention too. John, you go left and I'll run right." Randy cut in, repeating John's actions and getting into a crouching position. "Go, now!"

The two of them jumped over the crates and ran their different ways, while yelling random nothings to gain the attention of the Geth roaming in the colony. The others had peeked over the crates to watch the machines already opening fire upon to the two men. Their shots whisked past them as they disappeared behind buildings while all the Geth troopers were following in fast pursuit.

Cody asked quickly, "How the hell are we supposed to call for help?"

"We'll figure that out when we get there. Let's go." Ted declared. They all got up quickly and made their way through the courtyard as fast as possible, passing by several buildings on both sides of the grassy area. The machines were not aware of their presence yet but it did not falter their ability to continue moving quickly and swiftly. Wade was a bit slower since Chris was trying to run as well. So to make it easier, he picked the little boy up into his arms during their run, managing to catch up and keep with the group.

_ "Hello? Is anyone there? Anybody in need of extraction? Over."_

The static chatter derived from a center point that lied between the two large gun towers within a small building that was a control room for Firebase defenses. The guys had ran through the entrance, catching an eyeful of the panels and various terminals that glowed with the spark of holographic controls. The sound of the pilot speaking through radio erupted again; and it was emanating from a small headset that was set upon the flat surface of a six foot long panel with colored buttons and radar sensors.

Mike had ran around the panel and picked it up, pressing the gadget into his ear, "Hello? Hello?"

_ "Finally, somebody answered. This is Shuttle Pilot Roberts of the N7 Argos… What's the situation down there? Over."_

"WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!" Mike yelled quickly, causing the small set to let out an irritating screech.

_ "I'm aware of that." _The pilot replied with a know-it-all tone. _"I meant, how many survivors are awaiting extraction? Over."_

"Seven! Two of us had led the machines away from here just so we could make contact. I don't know where they're at or what's going on with them right now. But damn it, you have to get us off this planet right now 'cause they're everywhere!"

_ "Our fleet has already begun to open fire on the Geth warships outside of Eden Prime. I will come in for extraction as soon as those gun towers are offline. I can not make a landing until then. Over."_

"What the hell is Geth?" Mike asked, drifting away from the subject at hand.

_ "FOCUS! Geth troopers are closing in on radar. I need those towers offline now, if you want to make it out alive!"_

"Well how the hell do we do that?"

_ "There's a central terminal in the control room between the towers that allows access to the gun tower's mainframe. You need to open the operations software and shut off the programming." _The static almost cut off the pilot's last words but not enough so that it wasn't audible.

Mike looked around to see a terminal that conveniently lied in the center of the control room but was pressed against the wall. He looked at it as it continued to shift around, showing current active programs and protocols that protected it's central processing unit. A radar on the bottom corner began to flash with dozens of dots that were moving towards the center. Mike stared at it and replied quickly while everybody remained quiet with the exception of Ted who was keeping watch from the entrance, not seeing the Geth troopers that were closing in from behind the various buildings, "Ok, I think this is it. Now how do I access the software?"

_ "Just use your Omni-tool to hack through security protocols and overload the tower's mainframe. There's not enough time to shut them off individually now so you have to just sever the firewalls from the processor forcefully. Most likely, the terminal itself will overload - and probably explode - but the gun's will be offline."_

"I DON'T HAVE AN OMNI-TOOL!" Mike hollered with frustration, especially after listening to the technological talk that only gave him a headache. "AND EVEN IF I DID, I WOULDN'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT!"

_ "God damn it! Alright, then you'll just have to do this the old fashioned way. I'll lead you through it but there's no time for fuck ups. So listen carefully…"_

"Uh guys? There's a load of them coming RIGHT NOW!" Ted alarmed everybody, causing the others, except for Mike, to rush to the doorway, and watch as dozens of Geth troops began to march through courtyards and roam each building with their weapons drawn.

Mike turned his head momentarily but ignored the approaching doom and returned his attention to the terminal in front of him. "Well things are gonna have to change now… We have some more of those machines already closing in and there's no time to turn the gun's off. So I'll do this my way…"

_ "Wait, what…?"_

Mike picked up his foot and began to kick and stomp on the terminal, awaiting for it to just explode under his violent touch. After a few kicks, sparks were flying from the holograms and the metallic surfaces. The machine was being dented under his foot, and within a minute, it shut off completely, the holograms disappeared and the screen turning entirely black. The sounds of the power going down was noted, and Mike smirked as he pressed the headset into his ear again.

_ "Alright, whatever you did worked. The guns have stopped firing and the towers are offline… coming in for extraction."_

"If you are, then do it fast!" Mike yelled into the headset and ripped it away from his ear, tossing it away. He rushed away from the busted terminal and over to the entrance to stand behind Cody. They all watched at the Geth were interacting with each other, some who were obviously stating that the houses they roamed were empty. Others were simply just walking around and awaiting for any signs of life to show itself so they could just gun it down when given the chance.

"Is somebody comin' to get us?" Wade asked, holding Chris's hand, who was standing behind him like a shy little boy would.

"Yeah… pilot said he's coming in." Mike answered him, looking up towards the sky to see if he could spot him.

A blue ship was flying towards their position quickly, it's converters burning brightly blue. It came in quickly and swooped through the base, laying down fire from it's cannons on it's side. The shots caused rubble to procure from the ground, followed by Geth metallic exoskeletons to break off the organic tissue underneath. All the Geth that were in the courtyard turned their attention to the ship that was quickly making a U-turn, and began to open fire upon it though their shots were only ricocheting off it's thick exterior. The shuttle swooped in again, shots firing from it's cannons, and taking out a fair few more Geth troopers. Dust clouds were overtaking the air in the base and it was becoming hard to see any enemies walking through.

The shuttle shot in again but this time, right in front of them before landing softly, with a large side door rising up. They group could see the pilot through the glass on the front and he was waving his violently with a come-here gesture. They all ran to the shuttle, shots starting to fire once again from all directions with the sounds of the merciless machines getting closer.

Wade had picked Chris up and put him in the shuttle and followed him in suit quickly. Ted and Cody had jumped in after. But a loud sound had struck their ears and they all turned around to see a rocket explosive flying at them. Mike's eyes widened and he jumped in, but not before the explosive had hit the shuttle on it's back end. The force of the explosion had caused casual damage to the ship and shrapnel had flown into him all the while he was sent soaring through the air and away from the shuttle. He hit the ground hard while a loud ringing in his ear had deafened him from everything going on.

"Mike!" The screams were muffled proving the impact had disoriented him. Time seemed to slow down within his mind; multiple shots still being fired while his name was being repeated over and over but from different voices. His body was shaking, and he could feel himself being lifted after a few moments had passed; but he could not feel the pain that was coursing through his veins, for the explosion had numbed him temporarily.

And soon enough, he fell unconscious. Darkness had befell upon him, and all was silent.

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	8. Battle For The N7 Argos

Chapter 7: Battle For The N7 Argos

"_We had managed to get everybody on board and escape the planet__'s surface, __but with a critically injured Mike on our hands__. __A mission had settled upon us; and that is to reach the Citadel. But one thing had stood in our way of truly accomplishing what we must: an entire Geth fleet that __hovered over__ Eden Prime space."_

"Shuttle Pilot Roberts to the N7 Argos... Requesting to dock." The pilot had spoke through the set upon his left ear. The essence of space had surrounded the shuttle as it escaped the atmosphere of Eden Prime. But it was naught with extreme problematic proportions as the blackness was filled with shots from all directions, deriving from the numerous Geth warships and Alliance frigates.

The shuttle that the group rode upon had shaken quite violently, almost similar to that of an earthquake. The occupants riding aboard had nearly fallen to their knees from the violent vibrations, with the exception of Mike who remained unconscious and bleeding on a double seat lying in the back end of the largest area within the shuttle which foremost, was not too big. The plasma damage the shuttle had taken from a smaller Geth spacecraft had caused the ship's left engine to receive a moderate size crack on the metallic exterior.

And it was with that hurting shot that Roberts lifted one hand away from the controls and press the headset firmly into his ear, "GOD DAMN IT! Argos; we are taking fire! I need the docking bay doors open now! I have civilians on board!"

_"We read you Roberts. __But Geth troopers ha__ve__ boarded and taken control of the __LZ__. Any attempt to board and you will be shot down. I advise you to __change course__ for the N7 Magnus."_

"We can't make it there; we're taking heavy fire..." Roberts shouted yet again. "I'm coming in to dock anyways! Open the damn doors now!"

_"__Roberts, I advise you to reconsider. There's no..."_

"OPEN THE FUCKING DOORS... NOW!" The pilot yelled as the shuttle was hit by another shot from a plasma cannon from a smaller Geth war fighter ship. The craft had shook more violently than the last time and forced all on board to hold onto anything within reach for a brace of action. The only one who managed to fall was Chris, for the vibration had caused him to lose his grip on the arm of the seat he was settled in. But Wade had caught hold of him before he face planted the thick and solid floor of the shuttle.

_"Bay 07 doors opening. Advise caution, Roberts. Geth troopers are awaiting your arrival."_

"Should I be worried that we might not make it?" John blurted through the blasts going on through the empty space between the Geth and the Alliance. No other passengers were aware of the Geth that were taking control of the docking bay due to the fact that they could not hear the radioed conversation going on between Roberts and the Argos' pilot, who has yet to be named.

"We'll make it." Roberts answered him quickly without averting his eyes away from his destination of the N7 Argos through the thickened glass that would be the shuttle's scope of vision. "Everyone, brace yourselves; it's going to get rough!"

Wildly fired shots were flowing all around them like they were caught between a rock and a hard place. Joshua Roberts was using every bit of skill he learned to evade the shots moving back and forth, some of which were from the Alliance cruisers that were still caught in battle with the Geth warships. Swaying in circles and loops, the people aboard the Argos' shuttle were holding onto random equipment parts of the ship with all their strength to keep from rolling around in the interior.

"Approaching the Argos' Docking Bay!" Roberts shouted to the passengers as he applied the controls to slow down for their landing. It was obvious to see through the opening doors that numerous Geth machines were roaming the landing area while fighting off some of the ship's crew, who were taking cover behind a row of large metallic crates. Various weaponry were being used in the fight ensued, ranging from pistols to assault rifles and even shotguns.

"Oh shit..." John mumbled loudly as he watched their ride take on the full course of crashing into the Argos'. "This can't end well."

The shields that allowed passersby but prevented the interiors atmosphere from mixing with the essence of space were glowing brightly blue. And it was at the moment when the pilot caught an eyeful of the shields that he passed right through them and crashed onto the floor of the bay. The shuttle slid along the floor, emanating sparks as it did so and had managed to bowl over a few Geth, who buckled under the weight and were flattened.

As fast as the ship crashed in the docking area, the crew managed to dive out of harm's way from behind the crates as their barrier was taken down. The shuttle hit the wall on the far side of the bay and stopped altogether. Though the ship had succeeded in docking the Argos, the Geth continued their assault by continuing fire upon anything that was sentient. Crew members and Geth troopers were falling one by one from the shots and rockets soaring through the shuttle bay.

Moans and groans escaped the Descendants as the cloud of chaos settled around them from within the smaller ship. Coughs followed suit and they brought themselves to stand to their feet. Wade, who still had a good grip on Chris, successfully held Mike down to the seat as well with a firm hold of the built in weapon rack that lied right behind the back end.

Roberts unfastened his seat belt and turned towards the others, "Everybody all right?"

"No..." John replied sarcastically. "I think I just pissed myself. Anybody else?"

"I'm fine..." Cody answered before turning snarky. "This was... our first ride into space... and it ended SO badly. Feels like my balls busted."

"How's Mike doing?" John asked suddenly when the thought occurred to him.

Wade took a glance towards the man still under his arm and replied shortly after a quick observation, "Not too good... 'is arm is wha' worries me the most. If we don' get 'im medical attention soon, he won' make it."

"Then let's move now... we must clear the hangar of the infiltrating troopers." Roberts concluded. "If they're all still in this area then the Captain must have ordered a pinpoint containment protocol to prevent them from moving further into the ship. We clear out these sons' a bitches then your friend can be taken to the Med Bay."

"It doesn't get easier, does it?" Randy asked sarcastically when he summed up the factors of their situation.

The wired sounds of the Geth had cut their conversation short and drawn their attention towards the now heavily cracked windshield. Various forms of Geth were approaching the vehicular shuttle with their arms at the ready and their ocular eyes on the people that could be seen through the broken glass. Their ways of communicating only sounded like computer audio; but the way the tones screeched caught the men in a manner of petrification. It was almost like they were planning an execution.

Panic had risen through the young boy who clutched onto Wade even more tightly and buried his face into his chest. "Wade... I'm scared."

"Don' worry. I promised to keep yeh safe and I will." The Brit assured him as he wrapped his arm around him and held him close. He looked up towards the others with an eyeful of insecurity, "So wha' do we do now?"

"Well, counting the bodies that I saw through the windshield, I'd say the crew that were down here fending off the Geth are now dead. So it's just us in here and them out there... if we can get to their weapons, we'll have a chance at surviving." Roberts suggested after taking a glance towards the frightened little boy in Wade's arms. "I have my pistol but that's all I've got... Asking civilians to shoulder firearms is not something I ever do but given the odds of the numbers, I don't have a choice. Do any of you have some sort of experience in using ranged weaponry?"

"Sorry no... we're still new to the idea of using anything that can kill something living." John answered honestly while maintaining his grip upon the thickened bar hovering his head. "We're not exactly... normal like you'd expect. We've only been around for a few days."

"What do you mean?" Roberts asked but shook his head almost immediately of the curiosity and changed subject. "Nevermind. We'll talk about that later... Right now, my job is to get you to safety by any means necessary."

The sounds of gunfire startled them. The crashed ship was being smothered in plasma, taking brunts of intensity from the Geth's rifles. Black spots of burns were appearing all over the blue colored exterior, changing it's appearance in only a matter of seconds. The interior's wired cables and panels was sparking from the damage being taken, lighting up the shadows for a brighter yet dastardly atmospheric feel.

Roberts pulled his pistol out from his holster and held it in front of himself, "I'll take point... stay close behind me and keep your heads down. I have no doubt the Geth will be going for kill shots. As soon as you are able, grab a weapon and open fire."

"What if the crew used all their ammo?"

"That's a risk you'll have to take." He answered shortly before turning his attention back to Wade. "You are gonna stay here with the boy and Mike. Shut the door behind us as soon as we're all out. The Geth may be machines but their not too sensible. They'll most likely think you're waiting in here ready to open fire if they attempt to pry the door open."

"An' if they do try to break in? Then wha'?"

"Trust me... they won't." Roberts concluded the debriefing situation and laid his eyes upon the door that stood between them and almost certain death. Taking in a deep breath, he asked for assurance, "Everybody ready?"

With nods of their heads for answers, Roberts pressed the button and the door whisked open. Displaying a series of randomized crates, the pilot led the remaining four Descendants into the battlefield shouldering his pistol to fire covering shots. The Geth machines had taken cover behind thickened piles of debris, which were the large sheets of metal that covered the ship's interior design.

All men managed to make it behind cover as Roberts' pistol had ejected it's thermal clip, rendering a signal that it was empty. The moment they fell behind the thick crates, the men grabbed the weapons away from the deceased, allowing their breaths to escape them as they did so. Plasma bullets began to fly, letting the humans know that the Geth were once again firing upon their position.

Roberts looked at the four men next to him, shouting his voice over the sounds of gunfire, "Alright, there appears to be no excreted thermal clips lying around so I'm assuming the clips that are already in your weapons are not fully empty!"

"You're assuming? You've got to be kidding me..." John exclaimed his concern. "You kind of have our lives in your hands at the moment and so far I'm not happy about your way of action or words!"

"Well if you don't believe that your fucking clip is empty then aim at one of those machines and pull the trigger. Simple enough." Randy butted in, showing an expression of irritation over John's constant voicing opinion.

John cocked his eyebrows in belief of the idea being a good one and he poked his head over the surface line of the crate, shouldering the rifle, and taking aim at a Geth trooper approaching the hull of the shuttle. Squeezing the trigger quickly, a shot burst from the barrel and pierced the head of a trooper, killing it instantly. The other troopers took a quick glimpse to the fallen machine and returned fire relentlessly.

John fell back behind cover and made a quirky expression to show slight embarrassment, "OK the guns have ammo..."

"Good; now that you're finished with your whine parade, I suggest we get them out quickly... Nice shot by the way. You sure none of you have used a weapon before?"

They all shook their head to answer him and it only raised his confusion to a higher extent. "Well then. Alright time your shots and serve your ammunition. There's no telling how much is left. Now... let's clear these bastards out of my ship."

All five of them shot up from behind cover and opened fired upon the machine, drenching the hangar bay in sparks and bullets. One by the one, the machines began to fall in death and shutdown, leaving the metallic floor smothered in corpses. Spreading out while avoiding retaliating fire, the men were clearly on the winning side of the battle.

Ted and Cody had averted the barrels of their weapons towards the catwalk lingering above, shooting a fair few troopers with successful kill shots, and driving them off the surface to fall a clear 20 feet towards the hangar floor. Despite how many Geth troopers were falling, it seemed their numbers were barely dwindling towards preference. Battling the odds regardless of the tide, Ted and Cody continued firing while ducking and dodging to avoid possible contact with Geth plasma shots. And with one precise shot, Ted had shot one of the supports for the catwalk and the entire structure had collapsed with the Geth troopers aboard. Impaling upon the sharpened debris below, each machine had fallen dead on impact with their blackened blood smothering the metal pieces.

John had just shot down a trooper charging him, reveling his expression as he tried to squeeze the trigger again but only to be caught with a clicking sound. His weapon had just run out of ammunition and he had nothing left to defend himself even as two more Geth machines had come out of cover to aim their own rifles at him. For a second, he had considered raising his arms up in surrender. But the moment that second passed, he remembered what had occurred back on Eden Prime when him and Mike had attacked a Geth Prime machine.

As they approached him, he looked down at his hands, wondering if it would occur again. Without thinking twice, he raised a hand up high just as the troopers began to fire directly at him. His hands brightened with the same blue energy as before and encased him in a bubble that was just a few feet larger than himself. The biotic energy shielded him from the fire, burning the plasma shots into nothing, and staggering the Geth, causing them to continue engagement until their rifles had overloaded with heat.

John smiled a devious smile as he only watched the two troopers eject their thermal clips. A sense of panic coursed through them as John lunged at them with vigor and grabbed a hold of their elongated skeletal craniums from under the metallic jawline. The blue glow had strengthened in brightness when John had began to push them towards the barrier that separated them from the darkness of space. Their feet dragged along the surface with hard screeches and their three fingered hands struggled under the sudden boost of energy that he displayed. And in seconds, he had gotten within reach of the barrier. Tightening his grip even more, the biotic energy had caused a flash within the palms of his hands, and a violent wave of force had sent the Geth soaring into through the barrier and into the battlefield within Eden Prime space.

Randy had taken notice to three Geth machines that were approaching the shuttle that had Wade protecting a terrified Chris and a severely injured Mike inside. While Ted and Cody were taking care of the catwalk and John was dealing with a pair of Geth personally, he took heed of the situation and began to rush over to the crashed ship. Jumping over crates and sliding underneath the currently falling catwalk, Randy had made it in time to surprise the Geth with a hands on attack.

Wade was inside the ship holding onto a frightened and shaking Chris while taking quick glances to Mike who was still unconscious but breathing. He could hear the struggle that was going on right on the other side of the door and from the grunts and growls emanating, he could tell it was Randy fending them off. But if Randy should fail in the fight and the troopers did manage to get the door open, Wade would be ready to protect the other two who were defenseless against the machines.

Minutes passed though they seemed to last hours with the adrenaline of a fight coursing through them at 100 miles an hour within heartbeats. And suddenly, the firing had stopped, voices had ceased and everything was quiet outside in the hangar bay. The only thing he could hear was the sound of Chris' whimpering and his own heartbeat inside the drum of his ear. For a moment, Wade had assumed that it was all over until he saw bright blue flash that shone in the windshield of the shuttle.

_Silence._

All that was left was only silence. And Wade had placed Chris onto the seat, speaking softly to avoid further frightening him, "Stay here."

He stood to his feet, waiting for something to happen until the steam had ejected from the pumps that allow the door to open. And slowly the door had opened and Wade had clenched his fists ready for a fight. The hangar displayed clearly but a Geth machine was standing right in front of him with it's weapon hanging by it's side upon it's thick finger. He looked down to see a glowing fist protruding through it's chest plate and then disappear in an instant as it was pulled out. The Geth trooper had fallen over dead with it's black blood spreading about in a puddle.

Wade's mouth fell agape as he looked back up to see Randy standing in front of him with a thin gash across his cheek. Relief had settled in almost instantly when the others had walked up slowly behind Randy showing the scars of their battle with the Geth that were aboard the N7 Argos. Chris looked up and in a moment's notice, the fear had left him; and he had walked over to Wade's side, taking a hold of his hand and clasping it tightly.

Wade smiled at the gesture with a quick glimpse at the child and looked back to the rest of the guys with a question bothering him intently, "Wha' took yeh so long?"

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	9. The Citadel

Chapter 8: The Citadel

**A/N: People, stop sending me messages asking for updates. You won't get shit from me unless you start to review. You have the time to send me messages but not the time to review? Hypocrites. I'm giving everybody until Sunday to leave me some reviews. If I don't get any then I WILL delete everything except for the stories that are already done. You won't get anymore stories from me again. Deal with it.**

"_The Argos had traveled beyond Eden Prime space after we had gotten the Geth off the ship and threw their bodies out of the hangar to drift into space. The moment the Alliance had pulled back out of the battle for Eden Prime, the ship's medical team had rushed into the hangar and taken Mike to the Medical Bay where they were currently working on him. From the feeling in our veins, we know that there is something wrong. And it is not a good sign, for the vibe in the ship had suddenly changed for the worst. Something was terribly wrong with Mike... And the Citadel was the only place where we would know anything about his diagnosis for sure. The Citadel was his only hope."_

"I need some medi-gel now!" The asari medical expert shouted to her lesser class colleagues, who were still in the learning process of becoming high class in the field. They rushed to the cabinet near the metallic bed where Mike laid helplessly and still unconscious. The very second they returned to his side, she rushed her words to further her progress in saving him, "OK, keep pressure right above his pectoral... We need to stop the bleeding."

The youngest one – who was a blonde human female with a noticeable stutter – pressed her hands firmly upon the large open wound lingering on Mike's shoulder which trailed far down to his elbow, exposing muscle with great pain and agony. His blood immediately ran over her hand, staining it with ease while flowing like a river in the old testament. The urge to vomit was overtaking her quickly but she had to force herself to withhold, for she was to become an expert in medical care and this was common when it came to war. Swallowing the lump in the back of her throat, she cleared her throat and lowered her left hand a little further down Mike's arm, applying pressure to the continuing wound above his elbow.

The unknown asari lead of the Argos' medical team, brought out her omni-tool to begin applying the medi-gel to the large injury. A few seconds passed before he tool disappeared and she lowered her hand to observe the effects it had: very little was done to preserve whatever blood he had and she could feel the panic begin to rise within her. An aggravated grunt escaped her and she jumped back to be right next to Mike, laying her blue colored hand upon his shoulder.

"Give me... morphine..." The asari was beginning to lose faith in her ability to take away the pain from the man lying in front of her. She hung her head low, feeling the flow of his blood gushing over her hand like a chill running down her spine with a dastardly essence. She looked up when she saw the two rookies were just standing there with sympathetic and fearful eyes upon Mike, wondering if they would even be able to save him. She grunted at the display and yelled, "MORPHINE, NOW! THIS MAN DOENS'T HAVE MUCH TIME! I need morphine and whatever supplies we have left that can fight infection."

"But Dr. T'Karri... we are out of antibiotics. We used all we had to save what was left of the crew that were in the hangar when the Geth attacked." The brown haired rookie announced, clasping his hands together and twiddling his thumbs as if he were embarrassed to mention the fact that he was clumsy enough drop several bottles down a drain pipe in the ship while they were applying it to the wounded in the hangar.

"DAMN IT!" The doctor blurted out angrily before turning out and hitting the pan that held a lot of medical tools, sending it flying across the room, and splaying everything on the floor. "I... I don't know what else to do. We don't have the supplies to help him and..." T'Karri let out a heavy sigh before turning back to him with sorrow filling her eyes,

"Just get me the bandages... all of them. His only hope of making it is at the Citadel. Huerta is the only place that has the supplies and team for this."

"Yes ma'am..." The blonde answered calmly despite that she was a bit frightened of the doctor's actions. She quickly made her way over to the medical cabinet and grabbed every pack of bandages they had before proceeding back to assist with patching up Mike.

Doctor T'Karri watched as her colleagues were wrapping the bandages around Mike's arm, shoulder, and ribs, before taking a glance at the door that was both the entrance and exit to the Argos' medical bay. She inhaled deeply before walking over to it, allowing the ship's computer to open the door for her, and walked out to make her way over to the crew's quarters where the other five of the Descendants were waiting with both fear and anticipation.

* * *

Christophe was getting ready to go to sleep, undressing down to his underwear, and wearily getting into one of the crew member's bunks. Wade held the cover up to allow him to slide under it's thickened surface before dropping it over him. The young boy dropped his head back onto the pillow, softly brushing his hand under the cushion to excrete extra comfort for his making into a deep slumber. Chris looked at Wade, who was fixing the blanket to lay flat against the boy's body, and smiled deeply to show that he had nothing to fear anymore.

With a look of innocence plastering across his face gracefully yet slowly, Chris broke the silence that beheld the room, for everybody's mind was dwelling deeply on Mike's condition. "Wade...?"

"Yeah?" he replied just as softly as his name was pronounced by the little boy.

"Do you think my dad knows about mom?"

The question had caught him off guard and his gentle expression had shifted into one of concern and thought. His rightful mind to answer the question honestly was breaking down his barriers and he sought surely that it was only the presence of bliss overtaking like a wave in the water. To answer such a question about the death of someone he didn't even know for a week was quite an unamusing matter, for it had become a plague in such a short time. A peaceful colony was their first home and foremost; and death had swept through it in the form of the Geth and their entire armada, ending the peace as quickly as the time it took for the Six to be accepted into the colony and as one of their own.

As Wade looked deeply and emotionally into Chris' eyes, he could see the turmoil bubbling within, aiming to burst out and overwhelm him with a sea of tears and cries. And in return, Chris looked into Wade's eyes, recognizing the conflict happening inside him; decisions that were igniting a fire to bleed through. The exchange set an emotional vibe throughout the room, gathering everybody's attention for a short moment before they went back to worrying about Mike.

Wade took in a slow and deep breath before bringing himself to come up with an answer that would not further conflict, "I don' think so... News travels fast but it won' be tha' fast. Why do yeh ask?"

"Because I don't want him to cry like I did. I want to be there when he finds out... I can hug him to make it better... like you did for me." Chris paused to take in a sharp breath but also as a tear began to emerge from the corner of his eye. "I miss her, Wade... I-I want her back... I... I want m-my mom back."

Whimpers began to commence and tears were trailing down Chris' face as he laid there on the softness of the bed. Sympathy covered Wade's face like a mask of virtue and he softly brushed his hand across the little boys face, wiping away the tears with the tip of his thumb and speaking as quietly as possible to help sooth his agony, "Shh... I know it hurts, Chris. And I wish there was somethin' I could do to take away your pain. But she died protectin' yeh. If she hadn't done so, yeh wouldn't be here."

"Mom..." Chris cried the word over and over again, attempting to take in the comfort that Wade was trying to provide him but to no avail. The strength of the pain that emanated from the death of his death overcame the power that emerged from the soothing arms of Wade. No matter what Wade did to ease the pain dwelling in his heart, it would not falter what was already lingering inside. The light that smothered the little boy's world had dissipated into the nothingness and left him alone in the dark to forever wander alone. But the only thing that kept it from going pitch was the fact that Wade was still by his side and promised that he would forever be there until he could reunite him with his father.

"I'm sorry, Chris... I'm so sorry... I'm here for yeh."

Just as the situation could've escalated, the asari doctor aboard the Argos had walked right in through the door that led to the crew's quarters. A distraught look upon her face set the tension in the room to match that entirely of unease with no possibility of unsettling the vibe with a knife to heart. As disturbing and fearful as her expression was, the guys couldn't help but stand to their feet to await for her to say something that would help the cause for their concern. All but Wade was to their feet; their gazes held heavily upon Dr. T'Karri like a load of vultures scavenging for the kill.

"Well... how is he?" Ted asked as he was the closest to her and he felt the need to speak as softly as possible due to the pitiful look on her blue colored face. "Is he alright?"

"I've done all I can for him... His wounds are too severe for us to handle and we are out of medical supplies. His only hope to live is for us to get him to the Citadel as soon as possible." She paused to allow her head to droop as if she was ashamed to reveal anymore to the people standing before her. She took in a large intake of breath before continuing.

The silence in the room seemed to carry on for far too long and it only empowered the tension that was building in the room to a breaking point. Ted stepped towards her and laid a friendly hand upon her shoulder, giving her the idea to look directly into his eyes. He inhaled deeply before letting the words roll off his tongue, "Is there something you're not trying to tell us?"

"I... I..." She stuttered incoherently. T'Karri cleared her throat, "His... injuries are dire... Especially the wounds around his right arm. If we don't get him to the Citadel soon, infection will spread... and we'll have to amputate."

"No. That isn't an option. Isn't there something you can do? What about that medi-gel that you used on us after we got out of the hangar? Can't that help?" Randy asked, everyone's eyes dwelling upon him as the center of attention.

"The medi-gel we have on this ship is mostly for small injuries like cuts and scratches. Our major supply ran out when we tried to save the crew in the Geth attack. I'm not equipped to deal with an injury so severe. I am sorry but there's nothing more I can do for him at this moment. Just hope his body holds out long enough for us to reach the Citadel and he can gain the medical attention he needs."

"So that's it then? Mike dies and we all live?" Randy asked rhetorically, brushing his hands over his head in aggravation. "What the hell are we supposed to do when the Reapers arrive? We're going to need him... he holds a piece of us with him."

"Reapers?" T'Karri questioned with a tilt of her head. "You humans sorely believe in myths and legends. I deal with facts. And right now, I don't have the time to discuss this... my duty as of this moment is to help Michael any way I can without the required medical supplies. And with absolution, I can't do much... But I _will_ do what I can."

"Told you nobody would believe us. I don't see the point in us even waking up if we can't even convince one person about what's coming." John uttered, practically jumping onto the bunk right next to him. A grunt escaped him as the doctor turned away to make her way out of the room, "Fuck this... I'd rather go back into stasis at Pinnacle Six than deal with reluctance."

"John, enough." Randy glared at him with a hint of disbelief overtaking the glimmer in his eyes. "We'll figure this out... by ourselves if we have to."

The asari doctor looked turned around, and looked back and forth between each of the disheveled men in the room, her thoughts thriving on curiosity. She walked back closer to them and laid her hands on her hips, "Pinnacle Six? As in _the_ Pinnacle Six of Eden Prime?"

"Yeah..." Randy answered her, for everybody else was so caught up in her diagnosis on Mike.

"You expect me to believe in such a myth? A group of six infants saved from a generation over 50,000 years ago and given a powerful weapon to destroy an unknown threat that would cause the extinction of all life in the galaxy?" she declared, her blue brow furrowing deeply.

"You've heard the story?"

"Everybody in the galaxy knows of it from the remnants of Liara T'Soni's diary. Despite that she was an asari herself, my kind do not believe in such 'fairy tales' of galactic heroism and sacrifice for the 'greater good.' It is all a myth... only a story. And you expect me to believe that the six of you are the Descendants of the past?"

"Yes... It's as simple as that. Story or not, our main concern is not to convince you otherwise. Our main focus is on Mike and what is to come in three months. You may not believe us now... but when all hell breaks loose, you will see it all with your own eyes."

"I rather doubt that... Now I'm finished with this talk of stories. I have to attend to your friend and see him through this." Dr. T'Karri turned on her heel and walked out of the crew's quarters, leaving the remaining five Descendants rather annoyed with her antics on their legacy and purpose of being.

The room had gone silent yet again, everybody inside caught up within the pits of their own minds and letting the possibilities drive them mad. The silence had overtaken and seconds were changing into minutes. Summing everything together was rather overbearing for them; awakening to a beautiful yet unrecognizable planet; gaining the unconditional love of a little boy after the death of his mother; fighting off relentless machines that overran the planet in only a matter of 24 hours; and now dealing with a dying Mike. One of their own who held a piece of the key to the galaxy's salvation and has been with them since their first breath of life was now going to die and there was nothing they could do about it.

The silence was overbearing and it was all but ominous, though the only one who seemed to be collected with his thoughts was the one who was supposed to have gone to sleep. Chris looked up at Wade who was just kneeling down right next his bed with mind set on such fearful events. A note of worry and curiosity getting the best of him and he had to break the silence that was taken to the room.

"Wade?"

The older man didn't register the call of his name for the first few seconds. A few moments had to pass before he actually looked at the young boy who had a distorted expression upon his face, "Yeah?"

"Is Mike going to be okay?"

The question didn't really catch him off guard but to answer such a question without so much as a straightforward answer didn't settle well with him. The glimmer in his eyes gave a not-so subtle appearance and he inhaled deeply to slow down his rapidly beating heartbeat. But without raising the suspicion, he let the deep intake out slowly, "I dunno, Chris... I jus' don' know."

_"__Attention all passengers: We're entering Citadel space. ETA one hour."_

The word of the Citadel had caught their attention imminently, and the remaining five had all gotten to their feet to look out the thickened window that displayed a beautiful view of space and the distant stars. As the ship continued to move through the blackness of space, a bright light had taken through their eyes and blinded them momentarily. But standing right next to each other, staring out into the emptiness of space, a large structure began to take form in their vision. Colossal in size and weight, a large floating structure with five arms was beginning to take definition in only a matter of seconds.

As the light began to dissipate, the structure was finally relished in sharpness, and a few mouths fell agape to the size of it. The closer they got to it, the more fascinating the sight of it had become. Though it seemed so close, it was still so far, for their ship's drive was currently recovering from the Mass Relay jump that was performed roughly two hours after they had cleared the Geth out of the hangar bay. But given the fact that they were already close to it, their minds and thoughts were more at ease since it seemed that Mike would now be fine. It was only one more hour.

_Just one hour..._

_ The N7 Argos had arrived at the Citadel._

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